To enable knowledge-sharing of the best practices and technological advancement on clinical applications of flow cytometry, BD Life Sciences-Biosciences, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) recently organised the ‘Advances in Clinical Flow Cytometry’ (ACFC) multi-city roadshow for clinicians and physicians.
Organised in Bengaluru, Dhaka, Lucknow and Mumbai, each of the ACFC events enabled discussions by experts from the clinical fraternity on critical aspects of clinical diagnostics, including standardisation, performance, accreditation, automation and collaboration.
Commenting on the ACFC initiative, Pavan Mocherla, Managing Director, BD India/South Asia, said, “Over the years, flow cytometry has proven to be an invaluable asset in several clinical applications and plays an important role in clinical diagnostics and research. Cognizant of this and aligned with our purpose of Advancing the World of Health, BD has been organising the Advances in Clinical Flow Cytometry (ACFC) knowledge-sharing sessions for clinicians and haematologists across the country since 2018. Our objective is to provide a platform to discuss new processes, and leading technology best practices to enable better patient outcomes, and I am happy to share that we engage with more than 150 leading clinicians and medical professionals annually under this platform.”
At this edition of ACFC, several clinical applications and importance of quality were discussed by speakers from the clinical fraternity. The key highlights of the discussions were:
– Case studies on leukemia and lymphoma as well as minimal residual disease, among others.
– Deliberation on standard operating protocols, accuracy and standardisation of flow cytometry assays.
– Importance of quality and standardisation of assays in clinical flow cytometry.
Commenting on the ACFC initiative, Dr Arun Kumar Arunachalam, MD, PDF, Assistant Professor, Department of Haematology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, said, “Advances in clinical flow cytometry is a wonderful initiative by BD towards bringing together the people who are involved in clinical flow cytometry in the country. The event provided a platform for discussion and interaction among the participants on various topics that are important and relevant in today’s era.”
Present at the event, Dr Ananthvikas Jayaram – Pathologist, Neuberg Anand Reference Laboratory, Bengaluru, said, “The ACFC meet organised by BD brought pathologists who practice flow cytometry together in-person after the last two years of virtual meetings. The lengthy discussions on assay parameters, troubleshooting, utility of different markers and the debate on standardisation were all testament to the quality of the programme and the interest it generated among attendees. We look forward to many more such meetings in the future.”
Flow cytometry is a process used to sort, separate and examine microscopic particles, such as cells and chromosomes. It plays an important role in clinical diagnostics and research. BD offers a growing portfolio of flow cytometry instruments for leukemia/lymphoma phenotyping, stem cell research, immunology and CD4 testing.