Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

Laboratory Equipment: The Aurora is an intuitive, small footprint system containing a optical design that enables the use of a wide array of new fluorochrome combinations. The Aurora Full Spectrum Flow Cytometer captures light via Avalanche photo diodes and not photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) which will help resolve rare and dim populations. Also, a high through-put system will permit the hands-off and fast approach to flow cytometry.

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for performing sponsored research and other sponsored activities under grants and contracts funded by the sponsor or by sources other than State appropriations. (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b)(8)) The flow cytometry core requests the purchase of a new flow cytometer to add an additional instrument to the existing three flow cytometers in the lab. The current instruments are running at high capacity and have the ability to run and measure only a maximum of 13 fluorochromes. A new spectral cytometer will help in not only relieving the burden of the instruments, but also provide a higher-end flow cytometer with the capacity to more than double the number of fluorochromes that can be run simultaneously. The spectral model will also permit the combination of fluorochromes that cannot be used in traditional filter-based flow cytometers used in the Flow Cytometry Core. This procurement will purchased with ICR funds.