Limitations of flow cytometry

• source: [ @rieseberg2001 Flow cytometry in biotechnology ]
• tags: #limitations-flow-cytometry

Note : This paper is from 2001

The limitations of flow cytometers mostly relate to the cost of the instrument and the need for well trained personnel. Sample preparation may be cumbersome for some specific assays (especially those including cell fixation or membrane permeabilization). The inclusion of dyes also requires to add washing steps. Moreover, one must consider that in the presence of tissues or adherent cells, the requirement for a cell-suspension of single-cells can create additional problems.

Finally, for measurements that require knowing the size of the cells, care must be paid to the calibration of the instruments. Normally, polystyrene particles are used as a reference, but changes in the refractive index of the samples may further be sources of error.