Improving and Expanding OMIPs Using DSS Scores

When Mario Roederer, Yolanda Mahnke, and I introduced a new type of scientific paper - the Optimized Multicolor Immunofluorescence Panels (OMIPs) - in 2010, we were crystal clear about the importance of, and need for, a systematic way to share the antibody panels we were creating, alongside the significant troubleshooting and optimization information we were generating.

There are now 115 OMIPs (as of June 2025), covering a range of cell types and species. I am so proud of this contribution to the literature. There's no reason to start a panel from scratch... OMIPs identify biologically informative markers, the best reagents, and key tips and tricks for staining.

Now, in this post, we explore how my DSS system for panel design can be used to optimize and improve a previously published OMIP. This is a timely need; the earliest OMIPs are 15 years old, coming from a time when there were many fewer dyes than there are nowadays. Optimization of older (and even recent) OMIPs may allow better resolution for gating and population identification, and with spectral systems we can use the DSS to add markers to OMIPs to identify cutting-edge biology.

It's really easy to do this. In the post introducing DSS, we provide data ranking dyes by simplicity. We can go through each of the dyes in a panel, and use the DSS resources to find a spectrally simpler alternative. For OMIP-84, for example, there are lots of alternative dye. We can even consider expanding the OMIP, by adding spectrally unique dyes - like Novafluor Violet 745 and Novafluor Blues 530, 585, 610, and 660. The latter are revealed when you build out the instrument-specific DSS, based on your filter configuration.

This is a great example of developing a simple tool, and then using it smartly to make cytometry more robust and more powerful. My career - and this blog - have been built on the premise that we can ALWAYS do better in cytometry, and the path to doing the strongest work (the most impactful work) often paved by simple, accessible tools that are easy to understand.