Inappropriate Control Type Selected for Experiment

Symptom

Control used does not address the main source of background in the experiment, leading to incorrect gating and data interpretation. Results are inconsistent or unreliable despite using controls.

1. 1 Control type selected does not match the dominant background source (spillover vs. non-specific binding vs. biological variation)
2. 2 Single control type used when multiple sources of background are present
3. 3 Insufficient controls run during assay development to identify main background source
4. 4 Control strategy not optimized for the specific experiment type (single-colour vs. multicolour, stimulation assay, etc.)

1. 1 Run multiple control types (single-stain, FMO, isotype, biological) during assay development to identify main background source
2. 2 Select controls appropriate for the specific experiment type and panel complexity
3. 3 Use biological controls for stimulation assays where unstimulated samples best distinguish positive/negative expression
4. 4 Apply FMO controls in complex multicolour panels where spillover-induced background spread is significant
5. 5 Combine control strategies when multiple background sources contribute (e.g., compensation + FMO, or isotype + compensation)

Related Video (2)

BD Biosciences ★ 82

Flow Cytometry Compensation Tips and Tricks

"Directly addresses compensation for spillover background, one of the dominant background sources the failure hinges on."

Cell Signaling Technology ★ 72

Tissue Controls & More for Immunohistochemistry | CST Tech Tips

"Explains positive/negative and isotype controls conceptually, clarifying which control matches which background source."