Spectral Flow Cytometry Symposium 2026

• Listen to talks from international leading academic and industry experts detailing the full spectral cytometry technology and analysis methods

• Participate in hands-on workshops to explore a range of cutting-edge equipment and analysis techniques

• Meet with technical specialists from leading flow cytometry companies, explore a range of cutting-edge equipment offered by exhibiting companies.

Wednesday 9th July

9:30 – 9.40 Welcome from Rachael Walker, Head of Flow Cytometry, Babraham Institute ​

​9:40 – 10:20 Rainbow Connection: An Introduction to Spectral Flow Cytometry - Rachael Walker, Head of Flow Cytometry, Babraham Institute​

​10:20 – 11.00 Computational high-dimensional cytometry data analysis - Katrien Quintelier, PhD Student, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, GhentBelgium.​

11.00- 11:30 Refreshments & Exhibition ​

11:30 – 13.00 WORKSHOP SESSION 1 ​

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch sponsored by Cytek​

14.00 – 15:30 WORKSHOP SESSION 2 ​

​15:30 – 16.00 Refreshments & Exhibition ​

​16.00 – 16:40 The Transition from Conventional to Spectral Flow Cytometry - Charlotte Christie Petersen, Head of FACS Core Facility, Aarhus University, Denmark​

​16:40 - 17:20 Development of a customizable spectral flow cytometry mouse backbone panel for immunesurveillance in normal and tumor tissues - Rui Gardner, Director, Flow Cytometry Facility, Memorial Sloan Ketting Cancer Center, NewYork, USA​

​17.20-17.40 Closing – polls ​

​18:00 Hog Roast

Thursday 10th July​

9:00 - 9:05 Welcome back to Day Two​

​9:05 – 9:45 Adapting and expanding spectral flow cytometry panels - Paula Niewold, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands​

​9:45 – 10:25 The advantages of spectral cytometry in the identification and isolation of nanoparticlessuch as extracellular vesicles and viruses - Òscar Fornas, Head of Flow Cytometry Unit, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the Center ofGenomic Regulation, Barcelona, Spain​

​10:25 - 11:00 Refreshments & Exhibition sponsored by Dotmatics​

11:00 – 12:30 WORKSHOP SESSION 3 ​

12:30-13:30 Lunch ​

13:30 – 15:00 WORKSHOP SESSION 4 ​

​15:00 - 15:30 Refreshments & Exhibition sponsored by BioStatus ​

​15:30 – 16:10 AutoSpill 2: Spectral Boogaloo - Oliver Burton, Senior Research Associate, Department of Pathology, University ofCambridge, UK​

​16.10- 16.30 Closing Address Polls

Thanks to the unique set up at the Babraham Institute, the Symposium is able to offer interactive workshops on a range of commercially available spectral cytometers.

A brand new selection of workshop sessions will be offered to delegates in 2025. Each delegate will be able to choose 4 workshops to attend over the two days.

• BD FACSDiscover S8 Spectral and Imaging Sorter
• Cytek Aurora CS Spectral Sorter
• Thermo Fisher Bigfoot Spectral Sorter
• Sony ID7000 Spectral Analyser
• Cytek Aurora Spectral Analyser
• Thermo Fisher Attune Xenith Spectral Analyser
• Beckman Coulter CytoFLEX mosaic Spectral Analyser
• Agilent NovoCyte Opteon Spectral Analyser
• BD FACSDiscover A8 analyser

Classroom based workshops:

• Spectral Data Analysis with FCS Express 7.
  Jamie McCarthy, FCS Express, Dotmatics

FCS Express has the capability of unmixing files, displaying spectral plots and running high-dimensional data analysis with appropriate data pre-processing, making it ideal for analyzing full spectral flow cytometry data. Through an integration with EasyPanel, you can also export your spectral signatures for QC.

An FCS Express Application Scientist will guide you through such an analysis, showcasing FCS Express’s spectral capabilities, unmixing QC, high-dimensional data analysis pipelines and data exploration.

High Dimensional Data Analysis with OMIQ
Jamie McCarthy, OMIQ, Dotmatics

OMIQ (www.omiq.ai) offers an innovative solution bridging both classical and high-dimensional analysis in a pleasantly designed cloud software which also allows collaboration, automation, and data management. You can expect to see an overview of the OMIQ platform, including our integrated features. We will also run a live demonstration of Data Analysis in OMIQ; going from raw data to p-values. Through our integration with Graphpad Prism you can also reduce manual data handling and automate your statistical analysis.

Spectral Cytometry is enabling more parameters, more files and more events in your experiments and our OMIQ Application Scientist will focus on modern high parameter algorithms and solutions hosted in a cloud environment to get the most out of your data.

Approaches to Autofluorescence (AF) Management with Full Spectrum Profiling™ (FSP) and Tools within SpectroFlo® to Enhance Resolution in Samples with Complex AF.
Adam Davison, Cytek Biosciences

Characterizing and understanding the impact of autofluorescence (AF) in our samples allows for the determination of suitable methodologies to mitigate its impact upon antigen resolution. This workshop will introduce how to qualify AF impact and top select suitable approaches including panel design recommendations to optimize end outcomes. Here we will showcase existing tools within SpectroFlo® to rapidly overcome intense and complex AF in minutes using an example case study.

Imaging parameters: Adding a new dimension to spectral flow cytometryOscar Fornas Flow Cytometry Unit, CRG, Barcelona and Laura Ferrer Font, BD Biosciences

Image-enabled cell sorting (ICS) represents an exciting evolution in the field, bridging the gap between traditional flow cytometry and advanced imaging technologies. By providing real-time morphological and subcellular insights, ICS opens new dimensions for understanding cell biology.

This session will explore system-level innovations and applications of ICS, with a focus on CellView™ and SpectralFX™ technologies from the BD FACSDiscover™ S8/A8 platform. We will discuss how the ability to analyze cells using quantifiable imaging parameters, derived from measured signals, combined with fluorescent parameters, not only improves sample quality control but also enables researchers to investigate cellular behaviors, phenotypes, and interactions in previously unimaginable ways.

Additionally, we will introduce practical tools for optimal spectral panel design with imaging and demonstrate an analysis workflow in FlowJo.

Panel Design in Spectral Cytometry

Rui Gardner, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York

In this workshop we will provide an overview of best practices in spectral panel design, from design to evaluation and troubleshooting of high-parameter panels. The discussions will be focused on the various concepts that can impact the performance of these type of panels, from fluorochrome choice, sample preparation and staining strategies, spread, unmixing, among others. Though this workshop will cover the basics of spectral panel design, it is also suited for more seasoned scientists or technologists with some experience already in panel design.

Are we on the same Wavelength? An open forum discussing current standardisation practices in Spectral Cytometry.Sam Thompson, Babraham Institute and Katrien Van der Borght (VIB)

Spectral Instrumentation are now commonplace in SRL environments. However, has the community met at a consensus on the best practices in deconvolution, controls, data visualisation, post-acquisition supplementary transformation, or even basic nomenclature? Is this the responsibility of the users, manufacturers, or do we need to contribute equally with transparency?

This workshop will be driven by audience participation and offer an opportunity to discuss these points and to share your thoughts. The session will be supplemented by data collected from a previously distributed survey and the results from the same workshop held at Cyto 2025.

Your opinion matters: discussion points will be collected, summarised, and returned to ISAC taskforces to inform best practices in standardisation moving forward.

Computational Cytometry 101

Katrien Quintelier, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, Belgium

The default computational analysis pipeline consists of three main steps: pre-processing and quality control, clustering, and downstream (statistical) analysis. Quality control (i.e. removing low quality events and detecting and solving batch effects) is especially important in a computational setting, because of the garbage in, garbage out principle. The overall pipeline (and specific considerations for spectral data) will be discussed and some computational tools like PeacoQC for quality control, CytoNorm for batch effect removal and FlowSOM for clustering will be highlighted.

Practicalities of Spectral Cytometry & Cell Sorting - A Best Practice Workshop

Chris McRandle, Sony Biotechnology

This workshop will demonstrate how to efficiently transfer spectral experiments from analysis to cell sorting, using the ID7000 and FP7000 combination from Sony Biotechnology as an example. We’ll cover best practices in panel design, reference controls, data unmixing, Autoflouresence extraction, and standardisation.

Whether you're new to spectral sorting or fine-tuning your workflow, this session will help you use analysers and sorters as a cohesive platform from discovery to isolation.

From Clean Data to Clear Insights: Streamlining Spectral Cytometry Analysis in Tercen
Myrto Kostadima, Tercen

This workshop explores the next critical step in your spectral flow cytometry workflow: turning clean, preprocessed data into meaningful insights through secondary analysis. We’ll cover UMAP, a key algorithm for dimensionality reduction, Phenograph for clustering, and how to use automated pipelines for reproducible discovery and reporting. This session will equip you with the tools and strategies to accelerate your analysis and communicate your findings.
No coding experience required - tools and workflows will be demonstrated in Tercen, a user-friendly platform for data analysis.

Modern Algorithmic High-Dimensional Data Analysis: Best Practices, Limitations, and New Paths to Discovery
Can Pinar, Cytolytics

High-dimensional data analysis has become a cornerstone of modern flow cytometry research, enabling the extraction of complex patterns and subtle biological insights from large-scale datasets. As computational tools and algorithms continue to evolve, so too do the opportunities—and challenges—facing researchers. This session provides a comprehensive overview of best practices in algorithmic analysis, including robust data preprocessing, dimensionality reduction, clustering, and population identification. We will discuss common pitfalls, technical limitations, and the importance of validation strategies to ensure reproducibility and interpretability. Whether you're a computational expert or an experimental scientist, this session aims to deepen your understanding of modern analysis pipelines and inspire new approaches to unlocking high-dimensional flow data.

Full Workflow of High-Dimensional Data Analysis – From Data Cleanup to Cluster Characterization Laura Ferrer Font, BD Biosciences

Flow cytometry data often contains a high number of parameters, making it challenging to visualize and interpret. As the complexity of experiments increases, algorithmic tools can enhance and improve the characterization of cytometric populations.

In this workshop, we will present a full workflow based on several algorithms designed to help users maximize data analysis while minimizing bias. Topics will include data quality control and cleanup, data normalization, dimensionality reduction and automated clustering. We will also cover important yet often overlooked post-clustering steps, such as cluster quality control, characterization, labeling and isolation for biological validation.

This workshop is intended for anyone looking to explore the range of tools available in FlowJo and take a step forward in uncovering insights from high-dimensional data. A brief overview of FlowJo 11 will also be provided.

Q&A session with the experts
Rui Gardner, Rachael Walker, Oliver Burton, Katrien Quintelier
Moderator: Derek Davies

Although Spectral Flow Cytometry is now an established technology and has been adopted by many Core Labs and researchers, there still remain challenges. This moderated session with bring together experts to address questions that delegates may have related to hardware, experimental design best practices, data analysis, reagents, and more.

Tickets will provide delegates with full access to the Sympsoium for both days and a choice of four workshops (bookings for the focused Symposium's workshops will be offered to registered delegates at a later date).

Discounted tickets are available for academic staff, clinical centres, Facility Cores/Shared Resource Laboratories and Babraham Research Campus attendees.

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Host or Publisher The Babraham Institute