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A flow cytometer is a laboratory instrument that analyzes cells or particles as they pass one at a time through a laser beam. It measures physical and chemical features such as size, granularity, and fluorescent marker signals. The instrument can rapidly evaluate thousands of cells in a sample. Flow cytometers are used in clinical laboratories, research labs, immunology, hematology, and cancer testing.
read more about flow cytometer ...A flow cytometer is used to identify, count, and characterize cells in a fluid sample. In healthcare, it can help evaluate blood, bone marrow, lymph node tissue, or body fluid samples. It is commonly used for immunophenotyping, leukemia and lymphoma evaluation, immune cell analysis, stem cell counts, and selected infection or transplant-related testing. Results are interpreted by trained laboratory and clinical specialists.
Cells are suspended in fluid and passed through the instrument in a narrow stream. Lasers shine on the cells, and detectors measure scattered light and fluorescence. Antibodies tagged with fluorescent markers can bind to specific cell proteins, helping identify cell types. Software converts the signals into plots and data for analysis.
A flow cytometer includes a fluidics system, lasers, optical filters, detectors, electronics, and analysis software. The fluidics system moves cells through the laser path one at a time. Detectors collect light scatter and fluorescent signals. Some instruments also sort selected cells into separate containers, while others only analyze the sample.
Flow cytometry depends on proper sample collection, preparation, staining, instrument setup, compensation, gating, and interpretation. Old samples, clots, low cell counts, poor antibody panels, or instrument problems can affect results. Flow cytometry does not replace all pathology, molecular testing, imaging, or clinical evaluation. Results should be reviewed with the patient’s history, symptoms, and other lab findings.
It can be performed on blood, but it can also use bone marrow, tissue, or body fluid samples depending on the clinical question.
It can provide important information for leukemia and lymphoma diagnosis, but diagnosis usually combines flow cytometry with morphology, genetics, pathology, and clinical findings.
Some flow cytometers can sort cells, but not all. Cell sorters are specialized flow cytometry instruments with sorting capability.
Flow cytometers can analyze large numbers of cells quickly, often thousands per second depending on the instrument and sample.
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Flow Cytometry: An Overview. PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5939936/. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.
Flow Cytometry in the Diagnosis of Leukemias. NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK586209/. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.
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