Spectral flow cytometry company Cytek Biosciences is launching its new seven-laser Cytek Borealis full spectrum flow cytometer at CYTO 2026, the industry’s premier flow cytometry conference,
Cytek's Full Spectrum Profiling (FSP) technology has gained widespread adoption among researchers worldwide, with more than 3,900 peer-reviewed publications demonstrating its capacity to uncover deeper biological insights without compromising workflow efficiency or cost effectiveness.
The 39th annual CYTO Congress, themed Cytometry: The Next Wave, will spotlight emerging technologies shaping the future of the field. CYTO attendees will get a first look at the Cytek Borealis system, a next-generation platform that integrates full spectrum flow cytometry with future cellular imaging capabilities in a single system.
Available through an early access program (EAP), this new system with 120 detectors (110 fluorescence and 10 scatter) across seven laser lines - including newly added deep ultraviolet (DUV) and infrared (IR) lasers - expands the range of detectable signals, enabling the development of high-resolution 60-colour panels, with the potential to go beyond. To support these expanded optical capabilities, Cytek has developed DUV and IR cFluor reagents optimised for use with the system. These new dyes are now available via EAP for custom panel design and evaluation, with broader commercial availability planned. This allows researchers a fully integrated solution for accessing new spectral space and scaling panel complexity that no other platform currently offers.
The platform builds on Cytek’s expertise in high-parameter cytometry with future imaging capabilities acquired through its Luminex ImageStream assets, resulting in a unified system designed to extend what can be learned from a single sample. By incorporating imaging alongside spectral detection, the Cytek Borealis system provides a more complete view of cellular behaviour and structure.
Cytek will also highlight new automation and throughput enhancements to the Cytek Aurora Evo platform. The updates on the new configurations aim to enable integration of full spectrum flow cytometry into automated environments, adding scalability and reducing the need for manual involvement.
Building on the Cytek Aurora Evo system’s existing automation and throughput capabilities - including increased flow rates and automated startup and shutdown - Cytek is further extending this foundation with new hardware features and software API integrations. Scientists will be able to automate their full spectrum workflows by connecting to robotic plate handling systems and third-party scheduling platforms.
These capabilities are particularly relevant for biopharma organisations and contract research organisations (CROs), where efficiency, reproducibility, and system integration are critical to large-scale studies.