Edit 05/07/23 – As of right now, FCS Express v7.18.0015 which does all the nice things listed below is available for download on the DeNovo Software website.

I received a communication from FCS Express which made me very happy. If you’re not completely familiar with the software, it’s a flow data analysis platform that has an interface that is very similar to PowerPoint. It’s actually a very neat platform, has all the bells and whistles found in FlowJo, but makes data presentation a breeze. It also incorporates a spreadsheet that uses data directly from your graphs, allowing you to update your calculations as you move your gates around. It’s all pure fun.

The one thing that always irked me a bit is that FCS Express had a bunch of features that required different versions of the software, or more modules to be added to the site license. For example, FCS Express Image is the version of the software that can be used for imaging data analysis, from either microscopy or Image Stream (and now the Attune CytPix). There’s also an advanced module for cell cycle analysis. On my administrative end, it made things a bit complicated and I rarely discussed it with anyone.

But as of this month, we’re being told that FCS Express is simplifying its business model, and will include all of these tools in the same version of FCS Express. This means users of FCS Express will have a one stop shop for their flow data analysis, as well as analysis of data from imaging platforms such as the Image Stream, data processed through Image J, and many others. I don’t know microscopy at all, so I can’t say much about this. But here is a list!

Work is underway to make this happen, and the De Novo Software folks will be working on this over the Summer.