Derive greater insights and unlock new discoveries with spectral and real-time image-enabled spectral sorting
The BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter with BD SpectralFX™ Technology and BD CellView™ Image Technology is the first cell sorter that combines spectral flow cytometry with sort-capable real-time imaging. It's hardware design, optimized for full-spectrum optical detection, coupled with a system-aware unmixing algorithm, maximizes the color palette available for flow cytometry and ensures optimal spectral resolution and sensitivity. The real-time integration of image and flow cytometry data allows visualization and confirmation of cell types in real time before cell sorting. This ability to combine spectral flow cytometry and real-time spatial and morphological insights empowers researchers to tackle previously unanswerable questions.
Learn more from the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter brochure
Take a Tour of the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter
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Full spectrum optics with expanded spectral panel flexibility
Take advantage of the modular optical architecture with 5 lasers and 78 detectors that enable flexible panel design using an expanded palette of colors for high-parameter experiments. -
High-speed sorting with real-time imaging for better quality data
Visually confirm cell populations and cell characteristics in real time, uncover heterogeneous populations and assess intercellular dynamics to ensure higher confidence in data quality and save time and resources. -
Streamlined productivity
Streamline operation while maximizing sample utilization with automated stream setup and six-way sorting. -
Ease of use with BD FACSChorus™ Software
Simplify complex workflows and reduce setup time with comprehensive QC and setup covering all lasers and detectors and step-by-step guided workflows.
Designed with Safety in Mind
We have partnered with The Baker Company to design a custom biosafety and sorting solution. Our solution is comprehensive and keeps your cell sorting activities running smoothly and safely, so you can focus on your research.
BD CellView™ Image Technology
BD CellView™ Image Technology amplifies the power of cell sorting and analysis through real-time integration of image and flow data. This enables accurate identification of cell characteristics before sorting, visual confirmation of signal localization and cellular interactions, enabling exploration of novel and unique biological questions and providing higher confidence in data quality.
BD SpectralFX™ Technology
BD SpectralFX™ Technology combines full spectrum optical detection, optimized hardware and system-aware unmixing algorithm to manage spillover spreading in real time. The modular optical architecture that includes 5 lasers and 78 detectors facilitate a more flexible panel design using an expanded palette of colors for high-parameter experiments.
BD FACSChorus™ Software
BD FACSChorus™ Software provides an intuitive interface and a comprehensive solution for instrument setup, quality control and data acquisition. Its system-aware unmixing algorithm simplifies creating unmixing matrices and streamlines experiments with flexible controls, extraction of multiple autofluorescent populations and post-acquisition reunmixing.
BD® Research Cloud (BD RC)
BD RC is an ecosystem that helps you organize your projects, gain visibility and control of your experiments, or quickly and easily collaborate with your colleagues. A key component of this ecosystem, the innovative BD® Spectral Hotspot Matrix, helps predict the unmixing-dependent spread for each fluorochrome in a spectral panel, ensuring optimal performance without guesswork.
FlowJo™ Software
FlowJo™ Software, the premier platform for single-cell flow cytometry analysis, offers a rich, user-friendly, versatile and extensible analysis environment. FlowJo™ v11 Software features intuitive navigation, enhanced algorithm speed for quicker analysis and built-in features for added workflow efficiency.
Explore our collection of webinars showcasing the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter in action, along with how-to videos that highlight its key features, and publications where it has been instrumental in driving new scientific insights.
Watch this webinar to learn how the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter:
- Combines advanced spectral flow cytometry, cell sorting and imaging capabilities
- Improves the quality of sorted samples for downstream assays
- Allows you to obtain insights into biological questions that were previously unanswerable
From real-time imaging cell sorting to single-nuclei transcriptomics
Find out how scientists at the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) in Belgium use the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter to sort protoplasts based on their image features and improve the quality of downstream processes.
This webinar introduces the BD CellView™ Image Technology that powers the real-time imaging capability of the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter. Watch this webinar to learn how you can:
- Gate and sort with quantitative image features
- Apply those image features for different applications to measure the relative location of fluorescence signals and track morphological changes in cell populations
This how-to video provides a detailed walkthrough and practical tips on setting the region of analysis (ROA) and adjusting the pixel threshold on the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter. The video demonstrates how to adjust gains and select imaging features, using various sample controls to enhance side scatter signals and fluorescence markers.
Optimizing Image Wall Settings
This how-to video is a detailed guide for adjusting image wall settings to enhance the visualization of cell samples on the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter. Techniques such as adjusting gamma to reduce background noise, selecting appropriate color channels for different stains, and managing light loss to improve image clarity are discussed. The video also explores the use of histograms to analyze the distribution of fluorescence in cell populations, helping you understand how to effectively present multiple color fluorescence without overwhelming the visual field.
Highlighted Publications
- Pretto S, Yu Q, Bourdely P, Cafarello ST, Van Acker HH, Verelst J., et al. A functional single-cell metabolic survey identifies Elovl1 as a target to enhance CD8+ T cell fitness in solid tumours. 2025; Nat Metab 7, 508–530. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-025-01233-w
- Pae J, Schwan N, Ottino-Loffler B, DeWitt WS, Garg A, et al., Transient silencing of hypermutation preserves B cell affinity during clonal bursting. Nature. 2025; 641, 486–494. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08687-8
- Sun J, Zhang Y, Zhang Q, Hu L, Zhao L, et al., Metabolic regulator LKB1 controls adipose tissue ILC2 PD-1 expression and mitochondrial homeostasis to prevent insulin resistance. Immunity. 2024; 57(6):1289-1305. 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.04.024
- Livkisa D, Chang TZ, Burouf G, Czosseck A, Le NTN, et al., Biomaterials. 2024; 306: 122502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.122502
- Kornienko J, Rodriguez-Martinez M, Fenzl K, Hinze F, Schraivogel D, et al. Mislocalization of pathogenic RBM20 variants in dilated cardiomyopathy is caused by loss-of-interaction with Transportin-3. Nature comm. 2023;14 (4312). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39965-6
- Scharivogel D, Kuhn TM, Rauscher B, Rodriguez-Martinez M, Paulsen M, et al. High-speed imaging fluorescence-enabled cell sorting. Science. 2022;375(6578):315-320. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj3013
- Filby A and Carpenter AE. A new image for cell sorting. N Engl J Med. 2022; 386;18.1755-1758. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcibr2200971
Training Materials
Take advantage of the variety of training options and resources available for BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter.
Training options include self-paced e-learning courses that you can use to learn on your own or hands-on instructor-led training options offered by BD Biosciences. Several product resources are also available to suit all your training needs.
Explore all the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter training options.
FAQs
- What makes the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter different from traditional cell sorters?
The BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter is the first cell sorter to combine spectral flow cytometry with sort capable, high-speed real-time imaging. This unique pairing allows researchers to simultaneously analyze fluorescence, morphology, and spatial characteristics before sorting cells, increasing confidence that the correct populations have been isolated. Key features of the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter include built-in visual inspection of each cell, automated processes to streamline sort setup and increase confidence in your sort decisions through capturing more parameters per cell compared to traditional flow cytometry. In addition, the shared software with the BD FACSDiscover™ A8 Cell Analyzer, BD FACSChorus™ Software, supports template transfer between instruments for a consistent experimental workflow across analysis and sorting.
- What is BD CellView™ Image Technology?
BD CellView™ Image Technology integrates real-time imaging with spectral flow cytometry data acquisition to enable visualization of cells as they flow through the instrument. To accomplish this, the camera-free system splits a 488 nm laser beam into 100 frequency-tagged sub-beams and mathematically decodes signals from each cell using Orthogonal Frequency Domain Multiplexing (OFDM). High-resolution 2-dimensional (2D) images, comparable to 20x magnification in widefield microscopy, are then reconstructed. With BD CellView™ Image Technology, researchers can assess cell morphology, signal localization, and cellular interactions before sorting for greater confidence in sample quality and experimental results.
- How does real-time imaging improve cell sorting?
Cell sorting is only as valuable as the cells that make it into the downstream assay. The BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter adds a powerful new dimension to population selection with BD CellView™ Image Technology. By visualizing image features alongside fluorescence data in real time, researchers can verify cellular characteristics that would otherwise remain unseen, enabling more informed decisions about which cells to collect. This built-in quality control helps ensure the right population is sorted the first time, reducing wasted time and resources while improving the reliability and biological relevance of downstream results.
- What is BD SpectralFX™ Technology?
BD SpectralFX™ Technology is a full-system approach to spectral flow cytometry that combines optimized optics, system-aware unmixing algorithm, next-generation QC, and guided workflows to help researchers generate high-quality, reproducible data. By balancing sensitivity and spectral resolution, BD SpectralFX™ Technology simplifies high-parameter experiments and delivers reproducible and confident results.
- How many lasers and detectors does the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter support?
The BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter is available in a 5-laser configuration (UV-V-B-YG-R) with up to 86 detectors: 78 avalanche photodiodes (APDs) for spectral fluorescence across all lasers; 3 blue laser scatter detectors, comprising forward scatter (FSC), side scatter (SSC), axial light loss (ALL); 2 violet laser scatter detectors (SSC and ALL); and 3 photomultiplier tube (PMT) imaging fluorescence detectors (534/46, 600/60, and 788/225).
- Can the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter perform high-speed cell sorting?
The BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter is capable of high-speed cell sorting, reaching rates of up to 10,000 events/second. With optimal sample setup, the system can deposit a single event into each well of a 96-well plate in less than 80 seconds. Real-time imaging throughout the sorting process helps to maintain sorting accuracy and data quality.
- How does BD FACSChorus™ Software simplify workflows?
BD FACSChorus™ Software simplifies spectral flow cytometry by guiding users through every step of the workflow, from experiment setup to data acquisition. Integrated panel assessment tools help researchers evaluate spectral complexity and identify potential challenges before running samples, while real-time quality metrics provide greater confidence in sample integrity and data quality. By combining guided workflows, automated analysis tools, and system-aware spectral unmixing, BD FACSChorus™ Software reduces complexity, helps users make more informed decisions, and enables consistent, high-quality results with less trial and error.
- What types of research applications benefit from image-enabled spectral cell sorting?
Any flow cytometry application is a great fit for the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter. While image-enabled spectral cell sorting is particularly valuable for applications that benefit from spatial and morphological information, BD CellView™ Image Technology also adds value to virtually any sorting experiment by providing an additional layer of quality control beyond traditional fluorescence intensity measurements. By visualizing cell morphology and image-derived characteristics alongside fluorescence data in real time, researchers can better assess sample quality, identify unexpected events or artifacts, and confirm that the desired cell population is being selected before sorting.
- Does the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter support biosafety requirements?
The BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter can be equipped with a fully integrated, custom-tailored Class II Type A2 biological safety cabinet (BSC), developed in partnership with The Baker Company to support safe sorting workflows. For systems without the BSC, the BD® Aerosol Management Option (AMO) provides an enclosed pathway from the sample injection chamber to the sort collection tubes, and is fitted with a 0.01 μm size ultra-low-penetrating air (ULPA) filter to trap aerosolized particles.
- How does the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 help researchers uncover new biological insights?
The BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter helps researchers uncover new biological insights by expanding the information available from every cell beyond traditional fluorescence intensity measurements. By combining spectral flow cytometry with BD CellView™ Image Technology, researchers can evaluate not only how much signal is present, but also where that signal is located and how it relates to a cell's morphology and spatial characteristics. This additional layer of information enables new applications that would be difficult or impossible with conventional flow cytometry alone, such as distinguishing cells with similar phenotypes but different intracellular localization patterns, identifying subtle morphological differences, and uncovering biologically relevant heterogeneity within complex populations. As a result, researchers can explore questions that extend beyond marker expression to better understand cellular function, state, and behavior.
- What support infrastructure is available?
Every BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter installation includes operator training, panel design support, and access to highly skilled BD application scientists for experiment review. Contact your Waters Biosciences representative to discuss which service plan best meets your requirements.
- Is the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter for Research Use Only?
The BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter is for Research Use Only and is not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
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Class 1 Laser Products. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.