[Principles of flow cytometry]

Flow cytometry (FCM) allows the simultaneous measurement of different parameters in a population of cell or sub-cellular particles, which are individually analysed at a rate of 500 to 5,000 objects/second. Results are displayed as univariate or bivariate histograms, giving the distribution of the population in relation to the studied parameters. Moreover, FCM offers the possibility to physically sort the sub populations defined by the analysis.