Related Experiment Videos
Principles of flow cytometry.
1Becton Dickinson Research Center, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709.
Cytometry. Supplement : the Journal of the Society for Analytical Cytology
|January 1, 1988
Summary
Flow cytometry rapidly analyzes individual cells, offering detailed parameter distributions beyond basic sizing. This technology enables cell subset identification and sorting for further research and clinical applications.
Area of Science:
- Cellular biology
- Biotechnology
- Clinical diagnostics
Background:
- Flow cytometers analyze cells individually at high throughput (1,000-10,000 cells/sec).
- Current clinical use in hematology instruments for size analysis is limited.
- The technology offers a wide range of measurement parameters beyond basic cell size.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the extensive capabilities of flow cytometry beyond current clinical applications.
- To encourage research clinicians to explore broader uses of flow cytometry in clinical settings.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cell populations one at a time.
- Measurement of various cellular parameters (e.g., size, membrane fluidity, epitope density).
- Correlation and multi-dimensional display of individual cell parameter values.
Main Results:
- Flow cytometry provides excellent statistical data from large cell samples.
- It allows for the identification and isolation (sorting) of specific cell subsets.
- Analysis yields low-resolution data compared to cell imaging but offers broad parameter detection.
Conclusions:
- Flow cytometry possesses significant untapped potential for diverse clinical applications.
- Further adaptation by research clinicians is needed to leverage its full capabilities in healthcare.