Virtacytometriassa

Virtacytometriassa, often translated as flow cytometry, is a powerful laboratory technique used to detect and measure physical and chemical characteristics of a population of cells or particles. It operates by suspending cells in a fluid stream and passing them one by one through a laser beam. As each cell passes through the laser, it scatters light, and any fluorescence emitted by the cell is detected. The intensity and pattern of scattered and emitted light provide information about the cell's size, shape, and internal complexity, as well as the presence and quantity of specific molecules on its surface or within its interior, provided the cells are stained with fluorescently labeled antibodies or other probes.

This technology allows for the rapid analysis of thousands of cells per second, enabling researchers to identify and quantify distinct cell populations within a heterogeneous sample. Key applications of flow cytometry include cell counting, cell sorting (physically separating specific cell types), immunophenotyping (identifying cell types based on surface markers), cell cycle analysis, and detection of apoptosis (programmed cell death). It is widely employed in various fields such as immunology, hematology, oncology, microbiology, and cell biology for research, diagnostics, and drug discovery. The data generated is typically presented in the form of histograms or scatter plots, which visually represent the distribution of properties across the analyzed cell population.