Flow cytometry sample preparation is still largely manual in most labs. At the Labroots Laboratory Automation Virtual Event Series 2026 (March 18, 2026, free and virtual), Holden Maecker, PhD of Stanford’s Human Immune Monitoring Center presents a benchtop approach to changing that.
Maecker, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Director of the Human Immune Monitoring Center at Stanford University, will share data from his lab’s evaluation of automated, centrifuge-free sample preparation across two demanding protocols: a combined cell-surface and intracellular staining workflow, and a 28-color high-parameter panel with automated antibody cocktailing. He’ll cover cell recovery, staining quality, and reproducibility, comparing automated versus manual preparation head-to-head.
The system at the center of his work is the C-FREE™ Pluto Workstation. C-FREE™ technology replaces centrifugation with gravity-based cell settling and pipette-based washing. This simplifies automation setups, removes operator-dependent variability and allows for full walkway sample preparation.
This presentation is eligible for 1 P.A.C.E.® Continuing Education credit through the ASCLS-approved Labroots platform. Visit the virtual event on the Labroots site for more information.
