FlowJo

FlowJo is the name of a software package for analyzing flow cytometry data. Files produced by modern flow cytometers are written in a standard format called .fcs. Hence FlowJo will import and analyze cytometry data regardless of which FACS (Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting) machine is used to collect the data.

Operation

In FlowJo, samples are organized in a "Workspace" window, which presents a hierarchical view of all the samples and their analyses (gates and statistics). Viewing an entire experiment in a Workspace permits organizing and managing complex cytometry experiments and producing detailed graphical reports. FlowJo's ability to automate repetitive operations facilitates the production of statistics tables and graphical reports when the experiment involves many samples, parameters and/or operations.

Within a workspace, samples can be grouped or sorted by various attributes such as the panel of antibodies with which they are stained, tissue type, or patient from whom they came. When an operation on a group is initiated, FlowJo performs the same operation on every sample belonging to that group. Thus, you can apply a gate to a sample, copy it to a group, and that gate will be automatically placed on all samples in the group.

FlowJo provides tools for the creation of:
*Histogram and other plot overlays
*Cell cycle analysis
*Calcium flux analysis
*Proliferation analysis
*Quantitation
*Cluster identification and backgating display

Development

FlowJo became a commercial product in 1996. In 2002, Tree Star released a Windows version. Tree Star is the sponsor of the web portal myCyte.org a web portal for cytometrists.

External links

* [http://www.flowjo.com official FlowJo website] .
* [http://www.mycyte.org web portal for cytometrists sponsored by Tree Star] .