A PC-at based video device for flow cytometrically triggered cell imaging in flow.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Imaging Technology

Background:

• Flow cytometry is a crucial technique for analyzing cells.
• Real-time imaging during flow analysis can provide valuable morphological data.
• Existing methods may face challenges in capturing transient events or asynchronous signals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a personal computer-based system for imaging in flow.
• To present a novel method for capturing video images asynchronous with the video frame.
• To demonstrate the system's capability in acquiring images of cells and particles during flow analysis.

Main Methods:

• A personal computer-based system was developed to acquire cell images directly from a flow cytometer transducer.
• Imaging was triggered by flow system pulses, with cell movement frozen using ultra-short flashes from pulsed light emitting diodes (LEDs).
• A novel method was implemented for capturing video images asynchronous with the video frame, with images transferred to a PC add-in board and stored on disk.

Main Results:

• The system successfully captures cell images directly from the flow cytometer.
• Pulsed LEDs effectively freeze cell movement for clear imaging.
• The novel asynchronous image capture method addresses challenges in video frame synchronization.
• Images of various cells and particles analyzed during flow are presented.

Conclusions:

• The described system offers a practical approach for integrating imaging into flow cytometry.
• The developed method enhances the ability to capture dynamic cellular events in flow.
• This technology has potential applications in detailed cell analysis and characterization.