What are flow cytometry applications? | Sapio Sciences Blog

03/06/2023

Flow cytometry has a wide range of applications in many fields, including biology, medicine, and biotechnology. Some common applications of flow cytometry include:

Cell sorting

Flow cytometry can be used to sort different types of cells based on their physical and chemical properties, such as size, shape, and surface markers. Cell sorting is useful for isolating specific cell populations for further analysis or experimentation.

Immunophenotyping

Flow cytometry is commonly used to analyze the expression of cell surface markers on different cell types, particularly in immunology research. Immunophenotyping can provide valuable information on cell function, differentiation, and activation state.

Cell cycle analysis

Flow cytometry can be used to analyze the cell cycle progression of a population of cells, as described in a previous question. This technique is useful for studying cell proliferation and cell cycle regulation.

Apoptosis analysis

Flow cytometry can be used to detect apoptotic cells in a population based on changes in their physical and chemical properties. Apoptosis analysis can provide insights into cell death mechanisms and is useful in drug discovery and cancer research.

Intracellular protein analysis

Flow cytometry can be used to analyze intracellular proteins in cells, such as transcription factors or signaling molecules. This technique involves permeabilizing cells to allow antibodies to access intracellular proteins and is useful for studying signaling pathways and gene regulation.

Microbial analysis

Flow cytometry can be used to analyze microbial populations, such as bacteria or fungi, based on their size, shape, and fluorescence properties. This technique is useful for studying microbial ecology, pathogenesis, and antimicrobial resistance.

Overall, flow cytometry is a powerful tool for analyzing complex biological systems and has a wide range of applications in many fields of research and industry.

Learn about Sapio Sciences’ flow cytometry data analysis tool here.

Common flow cytometry questions: