20 May 2022, New Delhi BD Life Sciences-Biosciences, a division of BD (Becton, Dickinson, and Company), recently hosted the 'Advances in Clinical Flow Cytometry' (ACFC) multi-city roadshow for clinicians and physicians to enable knowledge-sharing of the best practices and technological advancements in clinical applications of flow cytometry. Each of the ACFC sessions, which were held in Bengaluru, Dhaka, Lucknow, and Mumbai, included conversations with clinical specialists on emerging areas of clinical diagnostics such as standardization, performance, accreditation, automation, and collaboration.

"Flow cytometry has been an essential asset in various clinical applications over the years and plays a significant role in clinical diagnosis and research," said Pavan Mocherla, Managing Director, BD India/South Asia. In recognition of this, BD has been conducting Advances in Clinical Flow Cytometry (ACFC) knowledge-sharing meetings for doctors and hematologists around the country since 2018, in line with our mission of Advancing the World of Health. Our goal is to provide a forum for clinicians and medical professionals to discuss new processes and leading technology best practices to improve patient outcomes, and I am pleased to report that we engage with more than 150 leading clinicians and medical professionals each year through this platform.

At this edition of ACFC, several clinical applications and the importance of quality were discussed by eminent speakers from the clinical fraternity. Key highlights of the discussions were:

- Case studies on Leukemia and Lymphoma as well as Minimal Residual Disease amongst others.

- Deliberation on standard operating protocols, accuracy, and standardization of flow cytometry assays.

- Importance of Quality and standardization of assays in clinical flow cytometry.

Dr. Arun Kumar Arunachalam-MD, PDF, Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, praised the ACFC initiative, saying, "Advances in Clinical Flow Cytometry is a wonderful initiative by BD towards bringing together the people who are involved in clinical flow cytometry in the country." The program offered an excellent forum for attendees to talk and connect on a variety of themes that are important and relevant in today's world.

Dr. Ananth Vikas Jayaram, Pathologist, Neuberg Anand Reference Laboratory, Bengaluru, who attended the event, stated, "The ACFC meet hosted by BD brought pathologists who conduct flow cytometry together in-person after the past two years of virtual meetings." The extended conversations on assay settings, troubleshooting, the value of multiple markers, and the debate on standardization all spoke to the program's quality and the interest it sparked among attendees. "We hope to have many more similar reunions in the future."

Flow cytometry is a method for sorting, separating, and examining tiny particles such as cells and chromosomes. It is essential in clinical diagnosis and research. BD has an expanding line of flow cytometry devices for phenotyping leukemia and lymphoma, stem cell research, immunology, and CD4 testing.

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