From Gentle Wash to Harmonized Workflows: How the Field Scaled Next

By Melvin Lye, Curiox Biosystems For much of the history of flow cytometry, centrifugation has been treated as an accepted compromise. It is efficient, familiar, and deeply embedded in laboratory practice. At the same time, its limitations (cell loss, mechanical stress, and operator-dependent variability) have long been recognized, even if rarely interrogated explicitly in published work.  As […]

POSTER 2026 – Pluto Code – Enabled Centrifuge-Free Automation: Toward a Universal Standard for Gentle Wash

This poster presents Pluto Code, a software-defined framework that enables centrifuge-free, gentle cell washing directly on standard liquid-handling platforms. Using C-FREE™ wash physics implemented as executable code, Pluto Code delivers reproducible wash and mix performance across diverse cell-based assays without additional hardware. Validation data demonstrate comparable or improved cell retention, debris removal, and assay consistency […]

Harmonization in Cell Preparation: Preserving Data Comparability Across Sites, CROs, and Automation Platforms

Data harmonization for large multi-site organizations

By Mallory Griffin, Curiox Biosystems The problem: comparable data starts upstream Cell-based assays have benefited from major advances in instrumentation, reagents, and analysis software. Measurement technologies and data analysis are increasingly automated, standardized, and shared across organizations. Cell preparation, however, remains one of the least controlled parts of the workflow.  Even when the same protocol […]

POSTER 2025 – Gentle Media Exchange on an Automated Platform : High Cell Retention, Imaging-Compatible Workflow

Unlock the full poster to see how C-FREE™ Pluto platform transforms media exchange for imaging and flow cytometry workflows. This study demonstrates how gentle, centrifuge-free washing and programmable low-shear media exchange preserve cell integrity, boost retention, and deliver cleaner, more reliable data. Explore side-by-side comparisons with manual methods, insights from whole blood immunophenotyping, and performance […]

The Automation Conversation: What Pharma and Flow Cores Can Learn from Each Other​

WEBINAR The Automation Conversation: What Pharma and Flow Cores Can Learn from Each Other​ Experts from AbbVie and GLIIFCA on modernizing flow cytometry workflows with automation “We had a bunch of disparate instruments and I had to carry plates from one instrument to another…The missing link was washing.” -Ryan Duggan AbbVie Get the Recording 60 […]

POSTER 2025 – Redefining Automated Cell Washing: Centrifuge-Less C-FREE™ Pluto Wash Configurations for Reliable Retention Across Diverse Cell Types

Redefine Automated Cell Washing

This poster summarizes a side-by-side comparison of manual vs. centrifuge-free workflows for whole blood immunophenotyping. Using automated antibody prep, staining, lysis, and programmable wash steps, the Pluto System achieved comparable cell retention, comparable population frequencies, and improved consistency across donors—all with reduced hands-on time.Download the full poster for detailed methods, figures, and analysis. Fill in […]

Shared Principles, Consistent Results: Pluto Wash vs. Laminar Wash

By Melvin Lye, Senior Director of Scientific Affairs Introduction: Questioning a Long-Held Belief  For decades, suspension cell workflows followed a rigid belief: centrifugation and pelleting were the only way to wash cells. This dogma shaped countless assays but also introduced variability, operator fatigue, and cell loss.  Curiox challenged this in 2018 with Laminar Wash™ (LW), proving that […]

POSTER – Reducing Operator-Dependent Variability in Immunophenotyping Through Automated Antibody Panel Preparation

Manual antibody cocktailing in high-dimensional flow cytometry often introduces user-to-user variability and consumes valuable hands-on time. This study evaluated an automated workflow using the Curiox C-FREE™ Pluto Workstation for antibody cocktailing, benchmarking it against manual methods across 10- and 24-color panels. Results showed that: Reproducibility improved: Replicate cocktail variation consistently stayed below 5%. Data quality […]

Advancing Antibody Cocktail Solutions: Empowering CROs with Pluto Automation

Automating Antibody Cocktail Preparation

By Melvin Lye, Senior Director of Scientific Affairs The preclinical CRO market is projected to reach USD 8.4 billion by 2030, driven by the rise in high-throughput studies and the demand for reproducible biomarker data in drug development.  Yet, many Contract Research Organizations (CROs) still rely on manual pipetting for antibody cocktailing, creating bottlenecks that threaten […]

Automating Flow Cytometry Sample Prep: An ROI Calculation

A scientist who could be saving time on antibody cocktail prep with automation

Automating Flow Cytometry Sample Prep: An ROI Calculation Manual flow cytometry sample preparation is labor-intensive and costly, with multiple touchpoints for antibody cocktail prep, cell lysis, and staining. Each manual step adds labor cost, training time, and risk of error. Here we highlight the ROI of automated sample preparation, showing how Pluto Workstation reduces hands-on […]