What do you look for in a flow cytometer?

Scientists have many instrumentation and reagent options when selecting and/or purchasing a flow cytometer system to address their research needs….Purchasing considerations

• Functional needs.
• Identify users.
• Multiplex samples.
• Upgradeability.
• Throughput and time to results.
• Lab footprint.
• Software.
• Technical support.

What are the three major components of a flow cytometer?

The three main components of a flow cytometer are the fluidics, optics, and electronics (Figure 1).

What are the basic components of a flow cytometer?

The three main components of a flow cytometer are the fluidics, optics, and electronics (Figure 1). The fluidics system of a flow cytometer is responsible for transporting sample from the sample tube to the flow cell.

Is flow cytometer expensive?

The cost per test for Cyflow is between $3.00 and $5.00, whereas that of Dynabead ranges from $12.00 to $22.00 and other flow cytometry techniques are as high as $30.00 to $100.00 per test (1, 6). Therefore, Cyflow is three- to fourfold more cost-effective.

Why is cell sorting important?

Cell sorting allows the separation of cells based on their intra- or extracellular properties, including DNA, RNA, and protein interactions, size, and surface protein expression. This is a unique attribute of many stem cell populations, including hematopoietic, embryonic, and cancer stem cells.

How does flow cytometry help diagnose leukemia?

Flow cytometric immunophenotyping can assist in establishing a diagnosis of acute leukemia by more objectively and definitively confirming both the presence of expanded hematopoietic progenitors and demonstrating immunophenotypic abnormalities on the progenitors that lie outside the perturbations seen during normal …

What is flow cytometry used for in clinical testing?

Flow cytometry is used in many areas of clinical testing. 1  That’s because it’s a relatively straightforward way to look for specific types of cells. Those cells can be cancer cells, immune cells, or even different types of sperm. As long as there is a way to mark cells for detection, flow cytometry can be used to find them.

What is the difference between a flow cytometer and a cell sorter?

This usage is incorrect. A flow cytometer is an analytical machine that does not perform cell sorting. Cell sorters use fluidics and fluorescence components similar to those in flow cytometers, but are able to divert a specific population from within a heterogeneous sample into a separate tube,…

How long do flow cytometry results take to come back?

Flow cytometry results can take up to several weeks to come back. How long will depend on the specific types of cells that are being looked for as well as what lab is used. Flow cytometry is a very technical test, and many labs may have only limited ability to process samples.

Which fluorescent dye should I use for flow cytometry?

Each type of fluorescent dye or label has its own characteristic excitation and emission spectrum which is important for designing flow cytometry experiments. There is a wide selection of fluorophores available nowadays; for example, FITC, PerCP, APC, PE, Cy5.5, Alexa Fluors, and more.