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Updated: May 12, 2026
06:28
Sample Preparation for Mass Cytometry Analysis
Published on: April 29, 2017
An introduction to mass cytometry: fundamentals and applications
Scott D Tanner1, Vladimir I Baranov, Olga I Ornatsky
1Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada. sd.tanner@utoronto.ca
Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy : CII
|April 9, 2013
Summary
Mass cytometry uses metal tags and mass spectrometry for high-dimensional analysis, overcoming limitations of traditional flow cytometry. This advanced technique enables simultaneous measurement of over 100 parameters for deeper biological insights.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
- Immunology
Background:
- Polychromatic flow cytometry faces analytical challenges.
- Current methods are limited by fluorophore overlap and detection sensitivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce mass cytometry as a solution to polychromatic flow cytometry's limitations.
- To explore the application of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in cytometry.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing metal isotopes as tags instead of fluorophores.
- Employing atomic mass spectrometry for detection.
- Adapting traditional inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for cytometry.
Main Results:
- Simultaneous measurement of up to 100 distinguishable reporting tags.
- Independent detection of signals due to mass spectrometry.
- Generation of cytometry-compatible data and application of unsupervised clustering analysis.
Conclusions:
- Mass cytometry offers a powerful platform for massively multi-parameter analysis.
- The technique overcomes key limitations of conventional flow cytometry.
- Recent advancements highlight the significant potential of mass cytometry in biological research.
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