# Flow Cytometry Training Workshop 2021-22

> **NIH NIH R13** · FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER · 2021 · $1

## Abstract

Project Summary
Flow cytometry is a specialized technology that characterizes cells on a single-cell basis and is heavily used in
the fields of immunology, infectious diseases and cancer biology. As the technology has advanced, the
multiplexing capability has markedly expanded allowing for more markers to be examined simultaneously. These
advances have increased the complexity of experimental design and of the expertise required to appropriately
analyze and detect potential artifacts hidden in the resulting data. Advanced training is critical to allow these
technologies to be appropriately implemented in resource-limited settings where exposure to scientists and
mentors with the requisite expertise is limited. Although complete mastery can take years, the practical and
theoretical tools needed to achieve competency can be taught in a relatively short workshop.
The African Flow Cytometry Workshop has been held biennially since 2005 in Cape Town, South Africa, with
the aim of enhancing both the theoretical and technical flow cytometry knowledge of African immunologists so
that this cutting-edge technology can be applied to critical studies being conducted on the continent. This
technology has unique capabilities to help address scientific questions of particular relevance in Africa given the
high prevalence of disease caused by the three major global pathogens, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. As flow
cytometry instruments with greater capabilities have become more available in Africa, the number of scientists
needing this advanced knowledge has also increased. Training opportunities that exist for African investigators
remain very limited and can be very costly.
The African Flow Cytometry Workshop is structured over five full days and consists of a combination of lectures
and hands-on tutorials with homework assigned each evening and an initial and final exam. Attendance is limited
to 20 participants, to ensure appropriate interaction between faculty and students and to facilitate peer-to-peer
interactions. We have conducted eight previous workshops and this experience has demonstrated the ongoing
need for this type of training as well as shown successful outcomes for many prior participants (Nemes, et al.,
Cytometry A, 2016). As in prior workshops, the selection process is conducted in a thoughtful way in order to
choose participants across geographic regions in Africa who are likely to apply their training and train others in
their home laboratory. In a survey we conducted of prior workshop participants, almost 90% of respondents
reported having trained peers at their home institution after the workshop, often by adapting teaching materials
from the workshop. In an effort to perpetuate the training, we have incorporated a strategy to invite select high-
achieving past participants to join the workshop faculty, which has served to deepen their understanding of flow
cytometry and provide them with leadership training. The workshop training is theref...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10327063
- **Project number:** 1R13AI165240-01
- **Recipient organization:** FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** ERICA ANDERSEN-NISSEN
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-06 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10327063

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10327063, Flow Cytometry Training Workshop 2021-22 (1R13AI165240-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10327063. Licensed CC0.

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