At the BD European Training Centre in Belgium, we offer a 4.5-day training course that teaches users how to work with the BD LSRFortessa™, BD LSRFortessa™ X-20, and BD FACSCelesta™ Systems.

This exciting training program conducted by BD experts teaches users not only how to work with and maintain these machines, but also covers aspects of multi-parameter analysis. This includes instrument setup, antibody-fluorochrome selection, compensation, selection of controls and statistical analysis of the data.

Recently, we conducted a survey to evaluate the success of this course among the participants. When the results came in, we were pleased to know that the course was extremely well received and that the participants found it very useful.

What the participants liked about the course

Here we present the opinions of two of our participants, Mr. Max Heiduck and Mr. Florian Weber. The responses of both participants were very encouraging.

Florian believes that there are a lot of aspects of flow cytometry that new users need to understand and that all this cannot be covered in a 1-2 days onsite-training. “The schedule of this course and the deep consideration of all the system parameters are responsible for a much better overall understanding of the device”, says Florian, in support of the comprehensive 4.5 days course.

For groups of 4 customers from the same site, the BD Training Centre offers the possibility of customisation not only in the language of the course but also in the coverage of specific flow applications. Max is very pleased that thanks to this customisation, he could take the course in his native German which made it easier for him to learn the complex topic. He says that he had a lot of questions, so there was some deviation from the main schedule. However, at the beginning of each day, the instructor summarised what was taught the previous day, and this made it very easy to recollect all the information.

The theory and the exercises  

Both participants found the theory and the accompanying exercises very useful. “All the useful hints I got in discussions motivated me to improve my experimental setups and to achieve data with high quality”, says Max.

Florian believes that as the users of the flow cytometers in his lab are from various disciplines, it was imperative for him to have a good knowledge of the theory to be able to supervise the use of the instruments. According to him, the various exercises also helped in understanding the theory well.

The trainer

Max and Florian are both in full praise of the trainer, Dr. Joerg Schlender.

“All the questions that came up during the course were answered in a very professional and profound way. He could give hints to every project related question”, says an impressed Florian.

Max agrees with Florian, saying that the course conducted by Dr.Schlender was extremely informative. 

“I was able to build a very structured knowledge about the general handling of the flow cytometer BD LSRFortessa™ as well as what to take into account when planning and performing advanced multicolor experiments”, he adds.

The relationship between the course and the participant’s projects

The participants were asked questions about their projects prior to the course, which was integrated into the training, according to Florian. Still in praise of Dr. Joerg Schlender and his experience, Max adds that it was very useful to put up questions related to personal projects during the class and get profound answers.

Timing and expectations

Max feels that the amount of information given every day and the general structure of the week was good, as were the proportion of theory and practice. “It was an awesome possibility to get a profound knowledge on performing multicolor experiments and on operating the LSRFortessa™”, he adds, feeling truly satisfied with the course.

On his part, Florian feels that everything in the course was well timed. “A little troubleshooting part would be a plus”, Florian adds as a recommendation for future courses.

Conclusions

Both Florian Weber and Max Heiduck are very positive about the BD LSRFortessa™ X20 and BD FACSCelesta™ operator course conducted by the BD European Training Centre. Flow cytometry experiments can be tricky, but not if one is armed with proper training provided by experts. This course is very much recommended for the users and will help them get the best out of their instruments.

For more information about the course and how to register, refer to the course flyer available at this link.

If you have any other questions, please contact BDB.Training@bd.com.