Òscar Fornas

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Outline

We are focused to develop and implement advanced and novel flow cytometry applications for the scientific community needs, making them standard and available for the whole community. The most relevant developed ones are:

• Flow Karyotyping for chromosome sorting and sequencing. 

We recently have advanced tackling the assembling of small and complex or very large chromosomes, such as human chromosome Y or 1 respectively. This offers a new strategy to study large plant or animal chromosomes that might challenge traditional assembly strategies. Currently, the facility is unique in providing this application in Europe, 

• Single virus sorting for single virus genomics. 

We have developed this application to advance in the study of the global virosphere as part of the global microbiome to understand complex ecosystems related to climate change. We are also exploring complex virus-host pairs with interest in the search for possible new antibiotics. Currently, we are the only facility all over the world offering single-virus isolation.  Consequently, we participate in several collaborations.

Service

Flow Cytometry Unit offers to researchers technical expertise and training to access state-of-the-art instrumentation, as well as technical and scientific advice to develop efficient and reliable flow cytometric assays. The facility counts with 5 analysers and 2 cell sorters covering most flow cytometry applications. Additionally, new technological and methodological solutions are developed under scientific community needs.

Provided services:

• Unassisted bench-top analysis.

• Assisted bench-top analysis.

• Extensive individual training on bench-top analysers.

• Extensive training on FACSAria sorter for advanced users.

• Cell sorting: Staff-assisted procedure.

• Support in project/assay development using Flow Cytometry.

• Application implementation or development under user demand.

The instrument booking reflects high facility usage with more than 6000 hours per year from around 300 active users within 120 research groups.

Team during 2019-20

• Technicians: Eva Julià, Erika Ramírez and Àlex Bote.
   

Selected publications 2019-20

• Garcia-Heredia I, Bhattacharjee AS, Òscar Fornas, Gomez ML, Martínez JM, Martínez-García M.  (2020) Benmarching of single-virus genomics: a new tool for uncovering the virosphere.  Environ Microbiol. Dec28. doi: 10,1111/1462-2920.15375. PMID: 33368907.
• Jose M. Haro-Moreno, Francisco Rodrigeuz-Valera, Riccardo Roselli, Francisco Martinez-Hernandez, Juan J. Roda-Garcia, Monica Lluesma Gomez, Òscar Fornas, Manuel Martinez-Garcia, Mario López-Pérez. (2020) Ecogenomics of the SAR11 clade.  Environ Microbiol. May; 22(5): 1748-1763. PMID: 31840364. 

• Lukas F. K. Kuderna, Manuel Solis-Moruno, Laura Batlle-Masó, Eva Julià, Esther Lizano, Roger Anglada, Erika Ramírez, Àlex Bote, Marc Tormo, Tomàs Marqués-Bonet, Òscar Fornas, Ferran Casals.  (2019) Flow Sorting Enrichment and Nanopore Sequencing of Chromosome 1 From a Chinese Individual.  Front Genet.; 10:1315. PMID: 31998370.
• Kuderna LFK, Lizano E, Julià E, Gomez-Garrido J, Serres-Armero A, Kuhlwilm M, Alandes RA, Alvarez-Estape M, Juan D, Simon H, Alioto T, Gut M, Gut I, Schierup MH, Fornas O, Marques-Bonet T (2019) Selective single molecule sequencing and assembly of a human Y chromosome of African origin.. Nat Commun. Jan 2;10(1):4. PMID: 30602775.
• Martinez-Hernandez F, Fornas Ò, Lluesma Gomez M, Garcia-Heredia I, Maestre-Carballa L, López-Pérez M, Haro-Moreno JM, Rodriguez-Valera F, Martinez-Garcia M (2019) Single-cell genomics uncover Pelagibacter as the putative host of the extremely abundant uncultured 37-F6 viral population in the ocean. ISME J. Jan;13(1):232-236. PMID: 30228380.

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