EuroFlow™

The EuroFlow™ SOPs

Last update: October 1st, 2019

The EuroFlow™ Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were designed in order to ensure full technical standardization of multicolor flow cytometry based on the use of 3-laser flow cytometry instruments, standardization of instrument settings and laboratory protocols, and analysis of samples.

The EuroFlow™ SOPs are published by the EuroFlow™ Consortium on its website, as well as in some of the several publications published by the Consortium and its members since 2012.

The EuroFlow™ Panels and SOPs were initially designed so that they would work in the 3-laser flow cytometry instruments that were available at the moment when the project started in 2006.

  • BD FACSCanto™ II
  • Beckman Coulter Navios™

BD FACSCanto™ is a trademark of Becton, Dickinson and Company. Beckman Coulter Navios™ is a trademark of Beckman Coulter Inc.

What are the protocols available?

The EuroFlow™ SOPs, guidelines and recommendation, are intended to cover the standardization of many of the variables of the flow cytometry complete procedure, from the pre-analytical to the post-analytical phase of the whole process.

The EuroFlow™ antibody panels and tools are flexible in terms of how they can be applied, but optimal performance is only achieved when used in combination with the EuroFlow™ SOPs. The different elements described in the EuroFlow™ SOPs were selected after several rounds of consensus, validation and testing, as shown in the EuroFlow™ publications.

The current protocols and recommendations available at the EuroFlow™ website are:

  • EuroFlow™ SOPs for Instrument Set-up and compensation
  • EuroFlow™ SOP for Sample Preparation
  • EuroFlow™ SOP for bulk lysis in MRD panels
  • Composition and technical information of the EuroFlow™ panels for hematological and immunological malignancies
  • List of reference and alternative antibodies for the EuroFlow™ panels
  • Guidelines for uniform coding of the EuroFlow™ panels
  • EuroFlow™ guidelines for BM sample collection and transport for MM MRD measurements

The aforementioned protocols and documents are continuously updated for optimal understanding and correction of errors. Please check regularly the EuroFlow™ website to stay updated on the last version of each document.

Access to the EuroFlow™ SOPs

The EuroFlow™ SOPs can be accessed and downloaded through the EuroFlow™ website > PROTOCOLS.

EuroFlow™ website

Resources

EuroFlow™ website

LEUKEMIA: Euroflow Revolutionises Flow Cytometric Immunophenotyping

BulkLysis™

Publications:

  1. van Dongen JJM and Orfao A. EuroFlow: Resetting leukemia and lymphoma immunophenotyping. Basis for companion diagnostics and personalized medicine. Leukemia. 2012 sep; 26:1899–907. Go to publication.
  2. van Dongen JJM et al. on behalf of the EuroFlow Consortium (EU-FP6, LSHB-CT-2006-018708). EuroFlow antibody panels for standardized n-dimensional flow cytometric immunophenotyping of normal, reactive and malignant leukocytes. Leukemia. 2012 Sep; 26:1908–75. Go to publication.
  3. Kalina T, et al. EuroFlow standardization of flow cytometer instrument settings and immunophenotyping protocols. Leukemia. 2012 Sep; 26: 1986–2010. Go to publication.
  4. Flores-Montero J, et al. Next Generation Flow for highly sensitive and standardized detection of minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma. Leukemia. 2017 Oct; 31(10):2094-103. Go to publication.