How can I display all of my detectors for my Cytek data?

The behavior of FCS Express toward data from a specific platform, such as the Cytek platform, is defined by an Instrument Specific Setting.

By default, we merge the detectors from the Raw data into the Unmixed data when the Unmixed data is loaded.  However, this can be modified so that a user has access to all detectors within a Raw or Unmixed file.

When working with Cytek spectral data sets, users might prefer to visualize data from the individual detectors (V1, V2, V3, for example) rather than the unmixed data channels (CD4, CD8, CD3, for example) when working with data files from the Raw folder.

The default assumption in FCS Express is that users will primarily work with Unmixed data.  As a result, the default visualization in FCS Express is to only view the unmixed data channels and to remove the individual detector channels for visualization to reduce the number of parameters available on any given plot, as seen in the image at the top right.

When data files from the Raw folder are loaded, these files only contain individual detector channel parameters.  Since they are removed by the default preference, you will only see scatter parameters available by default, as seen in the image at the bottom right.

However, this default behavior can be modified.

To change this behavior and to view the individual detector channels, for either Raw or Unmixed data, please follow the steps below.

  1. Click on the File tab>Options>Data Loading >FCS File Options>Instrument Specific Settings.
  2. Select Cytek - SpectroFlo from the list of Instrument specific settings at the right.
  3. In the Cytek Specific Options section of Cytek-SpectroFlo options (scroll down in dialog) uncheck the box next to Delete fluorescence parameters after spectra merge (image below).
  4. Click OK to apply the change.
    • The data will not update until it is refreshed.
  5. Click on the Refresh icon from Data tab>Save/Load>Refresh. 
    • The Refresh tool is only available in FCS Express Version 7.06.0015 or higher.
    • If dealing with a previous version of FCS Express, please save and close your layout, re-open it and then reload your Raw data.
  6. Choose the file to refresh and click OK.
  7. All detectors should now be available for your dataset.

You will now be able to access each individual spectral detector, and unmixed channels, in your parameter list for your unmixed and raw spectral data files (image below).

IndivDetect
UnmixingParamOnly

Above - Data set with all unmixed parameters and no individual spectral detector parameters.

RawScatterParam

Above - "Raw" data with no individual spectral detector parameters shown because of default preferences.

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