Booking a sorting appointment

It is our aim to make sorting of cells as easy as possible for our customers, paying regard to all the prerequisites and concepts we are addressed with. The following rules should enable an efficient utilization of this core facility for all scientific labs of Hannover Medical School.

Sorting dates can be requested mo-th from 08:00 (start time) to 18:00 (end time) and fr from 8:00 to 16:00. Bookings that do not fall into this time range have to be specially arranged with the staff.

Attention: Due to the staff shortage in the sorter laboratory, availability may be limited. Please check our booking calendar.

  • The booking of sort dates has to be made via email with the help of our email form and according to our online schedule. Prior to the first service through our facility it is recommended that the customer contacts our staff to talk through the specific aims and strategy for sorting cells (Tel. 0511/532-6731).
  • Sorting dates are to be booked as early as possible. The final booking schedule is performed by the sorter lab personnel according to the customers’ recommendations for the planned experiment (cell count, type of cells, purity needed, necessary modifications of the sorter) through adding the booking to the online schedule of our core facility.
  • The sorter lab staff is responsible for the selection of specific sorters based on the specific requirements of the users as documented on the request form. There is no guarantee on the usage of the sorter which is shown in the calendar at time of booking.
  • The use of the FACSAria Fusion sorter is preferentially intended for cell sorting with special requirements regarding (a) biosafety (infectious samples, genetically modified organisms of biosafety level S2) or (b) complexity of the staining (multicolor experiments, special combinations of fluorochromes). The sorter lab staff reserves the right to use other sorters for experiments without those requirements.
  • The usage of the FACSAria Fusion sorter should be reserved for sorting experiments with special requirements regarding (a) biological safety (infectious samples, genetic engineered organisms of biosafety level S2) or (b) complexity of the staining (multicolor experiments, special combinations of fluorochromes). The sorter lab staff reserves the right to use other sorters for experiments without those requirements.
  • The latest version of our request form contains check boxes for the selection of special sorters which can be ticked by the users (or will be completed by the sorter lab). A single selection of the FACSAria Fusion sorter will lead to different cancelation rules.
  • Please consider the additional amount of time necessary to apply an altered setup within the time you are booking! (Generally this is approx. 30 min. Changing nozzle size, custom laser adjustments and filter settings can significantly increase this time! Our staff will be glad to be of assistance finding the right setup time.) If there are duplicate requests for one sorting date, the date of receipt of the completely filled out email form decides on a first-come-first-take basis. If there is any conflict with the sorting dates we will call you to arrange an alternate booking convenient for you. Should the requested booking not be published on the schedule within one working day please call us for clarification.
  • Sorting appointments with an expected ending after 18:00 are to be booked at least a week ahead of time.
  • If scheduled bookings cannot be met by the customer, they need to be canceled as fast as possible.
  • Bookings that are not canceled on time will be regularly billed to the customer. The following rules apply:
    • Reservations for up to 4 hrs need to be canceled at least one business day in advance.
    • Reservations of more than 4 hrs need to be canceled at least three business days in advance.
    • Deviating from this the following rules apply for bookings dedicated to the FACSAria Fusion sorter:
      • Reservations for up to 2 hrs need to be canceled at least one business day in advance.
      • Reservations from 2.5 to 5.5 hrs need to be canceled at least three business days in advance.
      • Reservations of 6 hrs and more need to be canceled at least one week in advance.

The sorting fees can be previewed here.