Helios, a CyTOF System

Unprecedented insight into biological systems with the world’s most powerful mass cytometer

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Discover Your Inner Cell

Mass cytometry has catalyzed the revolution of single-cell proteomics, enabling the most comprehensive understanding of cell phenotypes, signaling pathways and function. Helios™ dawns as the most advanced tool for cellular exploration, with streamlined workflows and multimodal capabilities. It’s system-level biology at single-cell resolution on an accessible, expandable platform designed for breakthrough discovery.

Powerful

Gain unprecedented insight with 135 detection channels and the ability to measure more than 40 markers per cell.

Revolutionary

Make breakthrough discoveries by simultaneously profiling the phenotype and function of all cells in your system.

Complete

Get everything you need from Fluidigm, including Maxpar® metal-conjugated reagents, Helios mass cytometer and Cytobank analysis.

Hear what researchers are saying about the power of mass cytometry

Technology

Mass cytometry uniquely combines time-of-flight mass spectrometry with Maxpar metal-labeling technology to enable breakthrough discovery and comprehensive functional profiling applications. Cellular targets are labeled with metal-tagged antibodies and detected and quantified by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The high purity and choice of metal isotopes provide minimal background noise from signal overlap or endogenous cellular components. And 135 available detection channels ensure an ongoing ability to add more parameters, enabling you to fully study the functional complexity of biological systems at the single-cell level.

Workflow

  1. Design
  2. Build
  3. Stain
  4. Acquire
  5. Analyze

Design

Optimize your panel using the Maxpar Panel Designer.

Build

Assemble your high-dimensional panel with Maxpar reagents.

Stain

Stain cells using Fluidigm-validated protocols, buffers and barcoding reagents.

Acquire

Load prepared cells into Helios, which ionizes and releases the metal tags from individual cells, separates them by mass and counts the number bound to each cell.

Analyze

View and analyze high-dimensional data sets through a convenient cloud-based platform, Cytobank.

Support

CyTOF & Helios Support

Browse frequently asked questions, download technical documents, review training programs and service plans and locate the right IFCs, kits and reagents for your research. Still need help? Reach out to one of our support specialists here. 

components

IFCs, Assays and Reagents

Maxpar Metal Labeling Kits

Conjugate metals to antibodies or other proteins in as little as two and a half hours with our Maxpar labeling kits, optimized for use with CyTOF systems.

Cell-ID Cell Labeling Reagent

Identify nucleated cells with dead cell discrimination and detect cells in S phase of the cell cycle with our Cell-ID labeling reagents.

Cell-ID 20-Plex Pd Barcoding Kit

Improve data quality, increase throughput and collect more exciting data with a set of unique palladium barcoding reagents and advanced debarcoding software.

Maxpar Sample Prep Buffers

Optimize your mass cytometry staining with our sample prep buffers, which can be used in surface, intracellular, nuclear and DNA staining protocols.

Maxpar Metal-Conjugated Antibodies

Achieve comprehensive functional and phenotypic profiling of cell samples with antibodies validated for functionality and compatibility.

Maxpar Panel Kits

Analyze a variety of proteins in cell populations with our ready-to-use kits containing up to 17 metal-conjugated antibodies. Areas of inquiry include stem-cell development, cell cycle, signaling and immunology.

Helios

Gain greater understanding of cell phenotypes, functions and relationships through comprehensive profiles of cells inside and out with the world’s most advanced mass cytometer.
  1. Maxpar Metal Labeling Kits
  2. Cell-ID Cell Labeling Reagent
  3. Cell-ID 20-Plex Pd Barcoding Kit
  4. Maxpar Sample Prep Buffers
  5. Maxpar Metal-Conjugated Antibodies
  6. Maxpar Panel Kits
  7. Helios

Software

CyTOF Software

CyTOF® 6.7 system control software is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive for system control, and to provide continuous instrument feedback and diagnostic capabilities to users. This gives users the ability to troubleshoot quickly and effectively as well as to provide the highest quality of data output.

Fluidigm Cytobank Analysis

Cytobank cloud-based data analysis software turns high-content data into high-impact knowledge by providing tools optimized for mass cytometry, including clustering (SPADE and viSNE), heat maps, dot plots, histograms and statistics, along with the ability to share your data with colleagues and collaborators.

  1. CyTOF Software
  2. Fluidigm Cytobank Analysis

Specifications

Helios System

Channels 135
Mass range 75–209 amu
Abundance sensitivity 0.3% for 159Tb
Instrument response 600,000 counts/pg 159Tb
Detection limit 350 antibodies/cell
Dynamic range 4.5 orders of magnitude
Calibration Automated
Operating system Windows® 7 Pro 64-bit
Data storage 7.2TB HDD RAID (mirrored)
Sample introduction Pneumatic single tube loader with agitation, up to 5 ml volume
Peak throughput 2,000 (events/sec)
Flow rate 30–45 (µL/min)
Replicate sample CV (normalized) <3%
Height 52 in (132 cm)
Width 41 in (103 cm)
Depth 35 in (87 cm)
Weight 705 lb (320 kg)

Chiller

Height 25 in (64 cm)
Width 15 in (38 cm)
Depth 27 in (69 cm)
Weight 178 lb (81 kg)

Workstation

Operating system Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
CPU Intel® Core™ i7
Hard drives 2 x SSD, RAID 1
Data storage 7.2TB HDD, RAID 10
Monitor 24 in (61 cm) LED
Height 18 in (46 cm)
Width 8 in (20 cm)
Depth 23 in (58 cm)
Weight 77 lb (35 kg)

Data File Size

IMD 0.3 MB/sec/channel
FCS 12.4 bytes/event/channel
TXT 2.4 bytes/event/channel