Immunophenotyping Analysis
The most important application of this technique in diagnostic laboratories is **cellular immunophenotyping**, which is performed by using monoclonal antibodies conjugated with fluorochromes, targeting surface or intracellular molecules, and labeling cells. Immunophenotyping is used in the diagnosis of various leukemias, lymphomas, acquired and hereditary immune deficiency diseases, infertility-related disorders, and diseases caused by specific molecular structure disorders in leukocytes and red blood cells such as PNH. It is also employed in the diagnosis of certain platelet disorders like Bernard-Soulier and Glanzmann syndromes.
Cell Death Assessment
Cells undergo death either through programmed processes or due to environmental factors like mechanical and chemical stress, known respectively as **apoptosis** and **necrosis**. Detecting cell death and differentiating between these types of death is of great importance in many assays. These two types of death are easily identified by this technique using an appropriate staining method.
Genetic Material Quantification in Cells
Animal and plant cells require replication for their survival. These cells must go through the cell cycle, which includes G1, S, G2, and mitosis, to continue their life and proliferate. This technique indicates which phase and to what extent cells are in the cell cycle.
Genetic Material Analysis combined with Immunophenotyping
This technique quantifies your targeted antigen in the cells under study and shows in which phase of the cell cycle this quantity is located.
Cell Viability Assessment
Using fluorochromes that can bind to genetic material, cell membranes, or free amines present on the cell surface and inside, it's possible to determine cell viability and the extent of cell death. Cell viability is one of the aspects of interest to researchers and students.
Cell Proliferation Assessment
The importance of cell proliferation is such that many specific fluorochromes exist to indicate the rate of proliferation. Assessing proliferation is one of the key applications of this technique, which is not easily achievable by other methods, but flow cytometry readily determines the rate of cell proliferation across different generations.
Karyotyping
The presence or absence of a chromosome in a cell is easily determined by specific fluorochromes. When these fluorochromes are compared side-by-side, different chromosomes of the cell can be analyzed.