Merck adds green laser option to Guava flow cytometer range

Merck has announced the addition of a new high-power modulated green laser to its successful Guava range of flow cytometers.

The new 532-nanometer laser enables simultaneous detection of multiple fluorescent proteins, while also offering researchers more spectral choice using fluorescent reagents.

More powerful violet, blue and red lasers are now standard in most configurations, providing enough sensitivity to detect subcellular particles as small as viruses. The green laser variant, meanwhile, allows users to analyse heterogeneous biological tissues and systems in a single experiment.

Other advantages of the Guava range include its small size, reduced buffer and sample volumes, and reduced waste when compared with sheath-based flow cytometers.

Richard Janvier of the Universite Laval in Quebec, a long-time easyCyte user, said: "We chose the Guava easyCyte system because it combines many features that are desirable for us … no other cytometer on the market meets all of these criteria at the same time."

Merck also introduced the first commercially-available equine-specific multiplex assay for protein biomarkers this week.