What are OMIPs?
Optimized multicolor immunofluorescence panels, commonly known as OMIPs, are highly validated sets of antibodies and reagents that are published, peer-reviewed, and compiled to serve as a resource to the scientific community. OMIP publications often characterize flow cytometry experiments, but there are a variety of other experiment types that can be an OMIP such as fluorescent microscopy, mass cytometry, and more. OMIPs are published in the journal Cytometry Part A and made easily accessible for the benefit of researchers everywhere.
Why are OMIPs so important in the research community?
Experiment design is a long, iterative process; researchers must test a variety of reagents in different combinations to narrow down which reagents will work for their experiment. For each experiment, researchers purchase and test many reagents that end up not working for one reason or another and this costs researchers significant time and money. This is where OMIPs come in. The main benefit of OIMPs is that reagents are proven to work in the described experiment. Researchers performing similar experiments can use OMIPs as a starting point to expedite the costly and time-consuming experiment design process. Whether it’s just using the same combination of fluorochromes described, or using the same exact antibody reagents, researchers who incorporate elements of OMIP experimental design can have a higher degree of certainty that the reagents they order will work well. This can save researchers valuable time and money when designing experiments, ordering reagents, and testing them.
FluoroFinder can help integrate OMIPs into your experiment design
Determining how to use an OMIP to maximize your research can be difficult, but FluoroFinder is here to help! FluoroFinder’s unique OMIP integration in our Flow Cytometry Panel Design Tool allows users to select an OMIP to pre-populate their FluoroFinder panel with the markers, fluorochromes, and even the exact products from the selected OMIP. Users have complete flexibility to select their own instrument and make any changes to the panel that they want, such as adding or removing markers, modifying fluorochromes, and ultimately choosing the products that they want to order.
There are two ways that users can integrate OMIPs into their panel design:
- Users can search for relevant OMIPs at https://app.fluorofinder.com/omips. Once one is found, researchers may select “Build a Panel with this OMIP” to launch the Flow Cytometry Panel Design Tool where users will go through the panel design process starting from the OMIP framework.
2. Users may also utilize an OMIP directly within the FluoroFinder Panel Design Tool workflow. First, users must select their desired cytometer. On the next step, “Select Antigens”, users can select “Use Template Panel” to review and select the desired OMIP. Once an OMIP is chosen, users can select the antigens of interest described in the OMIP to populate their panel. Once users complete this step and proceed to “Select Products”, the panel is populated with the fluorochromes and products denoted in the OMIP. Users may then make any desired modifications to the experiment.
Start using FluoroFinder’s OMIP integration to maximize your experimental design today! Sign-up for our eNewsletter to receive future updates about OMIPs and other panel design tips.
