Minimum Flow Cytometry Calibration Information (MinFlowCal)

Flow cytometry is a powerful method for inspection of the behavior of large numbers of individual cells in a population. However, in the absence of appropriate data processing, calibration, and sufficient reporting, measurement results obtained with a flow cytometer are difficult to interpret or compare to existing datasets. MinFlowCal is a Synthetic Biology Standards Consortium (SBSC) project aimed at addressing these issues by delineating a minimum-information standard and calibration method that will facilitate appropriate reporting of flow cytometry data. We describe the use of commercially available fluorescent beads to calibrate fluorescence signal values to a common fluorescence unit, e.g., mean equivalent fluorochrome (MEF). Adopting and reporting calibrated flow cytometry measurement results will enable comparability and evaluation of reproducibility across instrument platforms and laboratories.