The power of flow cytometry

• source: [ @rieseberg2001 Flow cytometry in biotechnology ]
• tags: #single-cell , #biomarkers

The power of flow cytometry resides, first, in the wide range of cellular parameters that can be analyzed at the same time. Secondly, on the single-cell nature of the method. Flow cytometry allows not only to detect markers in average, but as a distribution, which gives access to sub-population information.

To gain access to the relevant information, several parameters can be retrieved:

• Absorption (in the sense of forward-scatter)
• Scattering (in the sense of side-scatter)
• Fluorescence

The fact that flow cytometers are commercially, robust, and versatile, are what makes them successful in clinical and biotechnological applications.