Question

Is sorting performed under sterile conditions?

Answer

The BD FACSAria III sorter is not placed inside a Class II laminar flow hood, so no sorting can be considered absolutely “aseptic”.
However, sorting is carried out aseptically:

• The sheath fluid passes through a 0.22 µm filter.
• The sorter is regularly decontaminated (the day before and after each session) with FACSClean™ and sterilized with 70% ethanol.

It is the user’s responsibility to prepare samples under sterile conditions (it is recommended to keep a pre-sort control aliquot to verify sterility). All materials (buffers, media, antibodies, tubes, tips) must be sterile.
For sorted eukaryotic cells, the use of antibiotics in the medium is recommended.
Our facility is equipped with a Class II biological laminar flow hood for sample filtering.