Florida Atlantic University researcher Dr. Yoshimi Shibata, associate professor of biomedical science in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science, has received a Bankhead-Coley Biomedical Research grant for $500,000 from the Florida Department of Health for cancer research. Shibata’s project titled, “High-Speed Cell Isolation by FACS in FAU Cancer Research” was selected by the Florida Biomedical Research Advisory Council.

A Florescence Activated Cell Sorter™ or FACS is a powerful research tool for studying cancer and characterizing many different forms of human cancers. Using FACS, researchers can measure physical characteristics such as cell size, shape and internal complexity. Used in the biological and medical fields, this instrument also enables physicians to determine how well a cancer may respond to a particular therapy.