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Facility News
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Spring 🌱 is almos here. Although it didn't feel like a true winter, we will definitely enjoy more sunlight in those wonderfull late afternoon flow runs ❤️.
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In this month FACS Tips, Kevin is talking about the new updated version of EasyPanel which adds important features to the panel design website.
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Sofie Hedlund Moller won the mug this month, Congratulations !
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Each month, we will give away one of those special and unique mug designed by the FCF team. Answer correctly to our 3 questions and you can have a chance to win !
Please take few minutes to answer the quiz HERE.
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FACS Tips
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EasyPanel V2
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Almost exactly a year ago in March 2023, we were introduced to Omar Abouzid's innovative company, EasyPanel, which offered a web-based application for algorithmically designing optimized flow cytometry panels. While we enjoyed the program and saw potential, user feedback highlighted a major drawback: the inability to seamlessly integrate in-house antibody stocks. Oftentimes, it pushed more rare and expensive antibodies to complete panels. Fast forward to February this year, and Omar returned to unveil EasyPanel V2, showcasing an abundance of adjustments and improvements based on user input. Let's dig into the enhancements of EasyPanel V2.
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Inventory feature
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Addressing a key user demand, EasyPanel V2 introduces the Inventory feature, allowing users to incorporate their in-house antibody inventory and prioritize these in panel design. This feature, accessed via a tab at the top of the page, empowers users to upload their antibody inventory individually or as part of a group. Users can join multiple inventories with permission from the group owner/manager, facilitating collaborative work. The process of creating a new inventory is straightforward, just click the add stock button in the top right corner, and follow the simple pop-up form for adding antibody catalog details. Moreover, users can import existing antibody catalogs from Excel, streamlining the process. If you import your antibody directly in the web app, you can just add the catalog number and it will automatically fill in all the details which is a great time saving feature. Notably, EasyPanel offers email notifications for expired antibodies, enhancing inventory management efficiency.
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Panel design
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The heart of EasyPanel, the panel design tool, has undergone significant improvements in V2. After selecting an instrument, you can decide how you want your panel to determine antibody fluorophore combinations. While the fully commercially selected panel design option still exists, most users will gravitate to the My Inventory/Stock option followed by the menu where they can select from the inventories they have access to. While the commercial catalog option will likely design for you a more optimized panel, it will most likely be one that will require the purchase of many antibodies and take time for shipping and titration. When using the My Inventory/Stock option, the software intelligently suggests commercial antibodies to complete panels where necessary, ensuring flexibility while optimizing costs and time.
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At this point, you can fill out the panel information similar to as before, but with some new updates. For example, sample preparation can now be considered in your panel design with options to say whether your sample is fixed or digested before staining. This should hopefully identify any problems beforehand with certain clones based on reference data. The Load Pre-defined Markers tab lets you quickly add all the makers of interest to define a certain population, or quickly pull up a full OMIP panel. Again, you can upload pre-existing personal panels and fix marker fluorophore combinations to be used in the finished panel. If there are markers of particular importance in your desired panel, make sure to click the star in the top left corner of its box. This will prioritize it in fluorophore pairing to a bright fluorophore with minimal spillover influence.
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Results
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Upon completing panel specifications, and after a short processing time, users are presented with an optimized panel. New features include a brightness score with each fluorophore aiding in antibody selection. On the far right of the table you can get information on the availability of a marker, either within your stock, identified with a box icon, or from a vendor, then select which of the products you will use for your experiment. There is an option to request vendor quotes for unavailable markers, enhancing experiment planning. EasyPanel estimates your cost savings by using in house antibodies, as well as quality scores your panel against the most optimized algorithmic panel with no restrictions. This score is from 0 to 10, and the metrics makeup can be seen by clicking “details”. According to Omar, generally a score below 7 is poor, but there is no definite cut-off of what will and will not work, and it’s maybe better to pay attention to the variance between the best possible score and your score to minimize that difference. The software identifies potential issues within panels and offers suggestions for improvement. Additionally, a share feature facilitates collaboration, while a manual editing mode allows users to refine suggested panels.
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Results
In the end, panels designed from your inventory will likely not have the quality of a fully algorithmically designed panel, and this is where you have to make a balanced decision between saving money and time using inventory antibodies on hand, and getting the most optimized panel requiring ordering new and potentially quite expensive antibodies, and waiting for their arrival.
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Smart Buyer tool
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Although it wasn’t discussed in our webinar, there is also a Smart Buyer tool tab at the top. This feature helps find a desired antibody for your experiment, taking into account expression level, and cytometer, as well as slider bars for other information of interest.
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Conclusions
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When first presented with this software, I had my doubts. It seemed too rigid and commercially oriented to work in our core facility environment. Omar and his team's dedication to addressing user feedback is evident in the improvements showcased in EasyPanel V2. With the promise of future enhancements, including a mobile app for inventory and staining processes, our partnership with EasyPanel holds exciting prospects going forward. For more information check out the webinar below if you missed it the first time around, or feel free to reach out to us at the FCF or the EasyPanel team.
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Publications
This month our recommendation is a paper talking about the development and optimization of a 50 color panel on the BD Discover S8. It is really interesting to see the key features that are needed to make some colors work together so please check it out.
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50-color phenotyping of the human immune system with in-depth assessment of T cells and dendritic cells. Konecny A. et al. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 [LINK]
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Presentations
EasyPanel V2 introductory webinar with Omar
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