Automated densitometry of cell populations in a continuous-motion imaging cell scanner

Continuous-motion imaging provides a method for the rapid quantitative analysis of slide-mounted cell preparations. Densitometric and morphometric cellular features can be measured and used to classify individual cells. Tests on the densitometric accuracy of the CERVIFIP CMI system show a c.v. of 6.5% for diploid mouse hepatocytes and a measuring rate of up to 500 cells/sec. CMI is particularly useful for problems requiring the interactive analysis of rare cell types and for the measurement of morphological and densitometric characteristics of cell populations. Typical applications include the prescreening of cervical cytology specimens and the detection of rare autoradiographically labeled lymphocytes.