Resolve / Cost of unmixing
Cost of unmixing
What does your unmixing workflow really cost?
Most files unmix cleanly. It's the fraction that don't — the ones that send you back to run fresh controls, redo compensation, and burn extra time on the instrument — that quietly drive the cost. Estimate your true annual cost of manual spectral unmixing below.
▤Your lab
Total FCS files processed across all panels
10500
Blended salary + benefits per FTE ($/yr)
⚠The problem tail
A minority of files don't unmix cleanly. Each can mean manual compensation, re-acquisition, and a fresh set of single-stain controls.
Files that fail clean unmixing on the first pass
0%50%
Compensation, re-unmixing, troubleshooting, running controls
0 min180 min
Problem files / yr
—
files needing rework
Scientist hrs / yr
—
hands-on
Your annual cost of unmixing
—
Adjust the parameters to see your estimate.
Base unmixing (labor)—
Compensation & rework—
New controls (reagents)—
Instrument time—
How this is calculated. Every file carries a baseline analysis cost (~10 min hands-on). A configurable share are problem files that add the hands-on rework you set, ~20 min of extra instrument time at $125/hr, and — for ~60% of them — a fresh single-stain control set (~$90 in reagents). Defaults reflect a research-use 32-color human PBMC spectral panel. Labor rate = fully-loaded salary ÷ 2,080 hrs.
Illustrative, based on your assumptions and typical 32-color panel costs (reagents ~$35–200/sample, instrument $125/hr, ~30–40 min hands-on/sample). Replace with your figures. Contact Ozette for a personalized assessment.