Recent Technologies on 2D and 3D Imaging Flow Cytometry

Imaging flow cytometry is a technology that performs microscopy image analysis of cells within flow cytometry and allows high-throughput, high-content cell analysis based on their intracellular molecular distribution and/or cellular morphology. While the technology has been available for a couple of decades, it has recently gained significant attention as technical limitations for higher throughput, sorting capability, and additional imaging dimensions have been overcome with various approaches. These evolutions have enabled imaging flow cytometry to offer a variety of solutions for life science and medicine that are not possible with conventional flow cytometry or microscopy-based screening. It is anticipated that the extent of applications will expand in the upcoming years as the technology becomes more accessible through dissemination. In this review, we will cover the technical advances that have led to this new generation of imaging flow cytometry, focusing on the advantages and limitations of each technique.