What is manual cell sorting?

Manual cell sorting is a targeted technique for isolating specific cell populations from complex samples, typically performed under a microscope using micromanipulation tools or flow cytometry with manual gating. It offers high precision for rare cell isolation or when automated sorting is not feasible.

What samples are suitable for manual cell sorting?

Suitable samples include single-cell suspensions from tissues, blood, cell cultures, or flow cytometry-enriched pools. It is particularly effective for samples with low cell yields or those requiring gentle handling to preserve cell viability.

How is the purity of sorted cells validated?

Purity is validated through post-sort analysis via flow cytometry, microscopy, or quantitative PCR (qPCR) to confirm the absence of unwanted cell populations. We provide a purity report for each sorted sample.

What are the advantages of manual cell sorting over automated methods?

Manual sorting excels in isolating rare cells with unique morphological features, preserving cell viability for sensitive downstream applications (e.g., single-cell RNA-seq), and avoiding non-specific binding associated with automated sorting. It is ideal for small-scale, high-precision projects.

Manual Sorting Service

As a critical preparatory step for high-resolution single-cell omics, our Manual Single-Cell Sorting service provides the precision and gentle handling that automated systems simply cannot match. Using advanced microscopy and precise micromanipulation techniques, our experts visually identify and isolate individual cells of interest from heterogeneous populations. This bespoke approach ensures the highest level of cell integrity, viability, and purity for your downstream single-cell genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses.

Submit Your Request Now

Submit Your Request Now

What for
Workflow
Deliverables
Applications
Why choose
FAQs
Sample preparation

What Manual Sorting Can Do?

While automated high-throughput methods like Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) or microfluidics are powerful, they are not suitable for every sample type. Manual sorting is the ideal, and often the only, solution for:

Extremely Rare Cells: When your target population is too small for the dead volumes of automated sorters.
Fragile Cells: When sheer stress from flow cytometry would damage or alter the biological state of delicate cells.
Morphologically Unique Cells: When selection requires visual confirmation of size, shape, or specific phenotypic traits.
Low Cell Input: When starting with microscopic biopsies, precious clinical samples, or micro-dissected tissues.

Workflow

manual sorting workflow

Deliverables

At the conclusion of the sorting project, you will receive:

Isolated Single Cells: Delivered in properly labeled PCR tubes or 96/384-well plates, suspended in lysis buffer or freezing medium, ready for immediate downstream omics assays.
Comprehensive Sorting Report: A detailed document including initial sample QC metrics, exact sorting parameters, the total number of single cells successfully isolated, and representative microscopy images of the targeted cells before and after isolation.
Negative Controls: Blank buffer tubes/wells processed alongside your samples to guarantee an accurate baseline for your sequencing data.

Applications

Manual cell sorting is a critical gateway for a wide variety of advanced research applications, including:

Single-Cell Transcriptomics: Capturing the delicate RNA profiles of rare or fragile cells without stress-induced artifactual gene expression, ensuring high-fidelity transcriptomic profiling.
Single-Cell Metabolomics: Enabling the precise isolation of individual cells for the highly sensitive detection of small molecules, revealing distinct metabolic states and dynamic biochemical responses.
Single-Cell Proteomics: Providing ultra-pure, physically intact cell inputs essential for highly sensitive downstream mass spectrometry or multiplexed immunoassays.

Why Choose Us?

Zero Carryover Contamination: We utilize strict aseptic techniques, single-use capillaries, and rigorous workspace decontamination protocols to protect your omics data.
Customized Protocols: We don't use a one-size-fits-all approach. We tailor the sorting buffers, temperature controls, and handling speeds to the specific biological requirements of your cell type.
Gentle Handling: By avoiding the high pressure and shear stress of automated sorters, we preserve the native biological state and viability of your cells.
Seamless Downstream Integration: We offer direct integration with various downstream single-cell omics services, providing a streamlined, end-to-end pipeline from isolation to sequencing and bioinformatics analysis without the risks associated with transferring samples between different core facilities.

FAQs

How many cells can you manually sort per project?

Manual sorting is designed for quality and precision over high throughput. We typically isolate anywhere from tens to a few hundred specific cells per session, depending on the rarity of the target and the complexity of the identification criteria.

Is manual sorting better than FACS?

It depends entirely on your sample and goals. FACS is excellent for analyzing millions of cells and sorting large populations quickly. Manual sorting is superior when dealing with fragile cells, very low input volumes, or when you need absolute visual confirmation of the cell you are isolating.

Can you sort fluorescently labeled cells manually?

Yes. Our micromanipulation workstations are equipped with fluorescence microscopy, allowing us to identify and pick cells based on fluorescent markers, reporters, or specific vital dyes.

How do you prevent contamination of the single-cell tubes?

We perform all manual sorting in dedicated, sterile enclosures. We use strictly fresh, sterilized glass capillaries for each sample, and blanks are processed simultaneously to ensure your downstream sequencing results are completely free of environmental or cross-sample contamination.

Learn about other Q&A.

Sample Preparation Guidelines

To ensure the highest quality sorting outcomes, we recommend the following preparation guidelines prior to shipping your samples:

Cell Concentration: Provide cells in a single-cell suspension at a concentration of approximately 10,000 to 100,000 cells/mL.
Buffer Formulation: Suspend cells in a physiological buffer (e.g., PBS with 0.5% BSA or your specific culture medium) to maintain viability and prevent clumping. Avoid EDTA if possible, unless necessary for dissociation.
Shipping Conditions: Ship samples overnight on wet ice or in a temperature-controlled container as dictated by your specific cell type's requirements.

Note: Detailed, customized sample submission guidelines will be provided to you during your initial project consultation.

* For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Our customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Inquiry

From Our Clients

"I recently used their proteomics service for a project analyzing protein interactions in yeast models. The team was very responsive and helped clarify the methodology they employed, which made me feel confident in the results. The data quality was solid, with clear identification of several key proteins involved in our study. Their thorough analysis enabled me to pinpoint specific interactions that I hadn't considered before, which significantly improved the direction of my research. I appreciate their professionalism and support throughout the process."

Sarah Thompson, University of California, Berkeley

"Our lab collaborated with them on a project studying cancer biomarkers. The proteomics analysis provided was detailed and focused, specifically highlighting the differential expression of proteins between healthy and tumor samples. Their clear explanations of the data helped my team understand the biological implications. I also appreciated their willingness to revise the reports based on our feedback, ensuring that we had everything we needed for our publication. This collaborative spirit was invaluable."

Emily Rodriguez, Stanford University

"Our lab worked with them on a project studying the effects of diet on gut microbiota using proteomics. They used a label-free quantification method to analyze proteins in fecal samples before and after dietary intervention. The results showed significant changes in protein expression linked to microbial activity. This was pivotal for our hypothesis about diet-microbiota interactions. The clarity of their data presentation made it easy for our team to integrate these findings into our ongoing research."

Dr. Lisa Wong, University of Toronto

"My experience with Creative Proteomics during the mass spectrometry analysis was excellent. We sent in human saliva and mouse brain tissue samples, which they expertly analyzed using both LC-MS and GC-MS techniques. The results were invaluable, revealing key metabolites in the saliva and identifying biomarkers linked to brain function in the brain tissue."

Dr. Emily Carter, Senior Research Scientist

"The overall service from Creative Proteomics was outstanding. They made the entire process seamless and efficient, allowing us to focus on our research. We worked with leaf and root samples from various Arabidopsis genotypes for targeted metabolomics analysis. Their thorough profiling of primary and secondary metabolites gave us important insights into how the plants respond metabolically to environmental stress."

Dr. Laura Henderson, Plant Physiologist

"We had a pleasant collaboration with Creative Proteomics on mass spectrometry analysis of lipids. They conducted a detailed analysis of lipid species, providing us with important insights into lipid metabolism and its relationship with metabolic syndrome disease states."

Dr. Sarah Mitchell, Research Scientist

Online Inquiry

Please submit a detailed description of your project. We will provide you with a customized project plan to meet your research requests. You can also send emails directly to for inquiries.

Great Minds Choose Creative Proteomics