Flow cytometry

Flow cytometry Flow cytometry is a technology that allows simultaneous multiparametric analysis of the physical and chemical characteristics of up to thousands of particles per second. It is often used in cell counting, cell sorting, biomarker detection, and protein engineering.

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Flow cytometry histogram

Principles of Flow Cytometry

Flow cytometry works by suspending cells in a stream of fluid and passing them through an electronic detection apparatus. As the cells pass through a laser light, the light scattered is characteristic of the cells and their components. Cells are often labeled with fluorescent tags to highlight specific features, and the fluorescence from these tags is also detected and quantified.

Components of a Flow Cytometer

The key components of a flow cytometer include the fluidics system, optics system, and electronics system. The fluidics system transports cells in a focused stream to the laser beam. The optics system includes lasers to illuminate the cells and lenses to collect the light scatter and fluorescence. The electronics system converts the detected light signals into electronic signals that can be processed and analyzed.

Applications

Flow cytometry has a wide range of applications, including immunophenotyping, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis detection, detection of cellular proliferation, and cell sorting. It is widely used in clinical practice and research, particularly in the fields of immunology, hematology, and oncology.

Flow Cytometry in Clinical Practice

In clinical practice, flow cytometry is used for the diagnosis and monitoring of hematologic malignancies, including leukemias and lymphomas. It can also be used to monitor immune responses, such as CD4 counts in individuals with HIV infection.

Flow Cytometry in Research

In the research setting, flow cytometry allows scientists to obtain detailed information about individual cells within a heterogeneous population. It can be used to study cell size, cell cycle, gene expression, and more. This makes it an invaluable tool for a wide range of biological and medical research.

References

• Macey, MG. (2007). "Flow Cytometry: Principles and Applications". Humana Press.
• Shapiro, HM. (2005). "Practical Flow Cytometry". Wiley-Liss.
• Perfetto, SP., Chattopadhyay, PK., Roederer, M. (2004). "Seventeen-colour flow cytometry: unravelling the immune system". Nature Reviews Immunology.

External Links

• International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
• National Institutes of Health - Introduction to Flow Cytometry

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