Bio-Rad Introduces S3e™ Cell Sorter (488/640 nm)

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) today announced the launch of the easy-to-use S3e Cell Sorter (488/640 nm). This latest addition to the company’s series of S3e Cell Sorters incorporates the fluorescence wavelengths commonly used by immunologists.

Traditionally, cell sorters have primarily been available in core labs due to the high cost, size, and complexity of these instruments. With the introduction of Bio-Rad’s easy-to-use benchtop S3 Cell Sorter in 2013, many more scientists were able to sort cells in their own labs.

Immunologists customarily use the 640 nm wavelength to excite and detect red fluorophores, such as allophycocyanin (APC) and APC-Cy7. The new S3e Cell Sorter possesses the 488/640 nm laser combination, thus extending the convenience of benchtop cell sorting to immunologists.


The S3e Cell Sorter allows immunologists at SUNY Downstate to sort cells in their own laboratory.

Like all instruments in the S3e series, the S3e Cell Sorter (488/640 nm) offers a hands-free startup sequence that automatically aligns the stream to optics and optimizes the droplet/side stream. This capability along with other features of the instrument allows scientists to begin sorting more quickly than they could with other, more complex systems. In addition, the S3e Cell Sorter’s ability to prevent tubes from running dry or overfilling ensures that precious sample is never lost. All these features are available without the prohibitive size and cost of more complex cell sorters.

Key benefits of all S3e Cell Sorters include:

  1. Simplified setup — a hands-free startup sequence automatically aligns lasers and calculates tedious drop delay measurements
  2. Two-way cell sorting — use one or two lasers and up to four detectors to sort two defined populations simultaneously
  3. High speed and high purity — sort cells quickly and accurately