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Flow Cytometry: An Introduction

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Flow Cytometry Protocols

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 699))

Abstract

A flow cytometer is an instrument that illuminates cells (or other particles) as they flow individually in front of a light source and then detects and correlates the signals from those cells that result from the illumination. In this chapter, each of the aspects of that definition will be described: the characteristics of cells suitable for flow cytometry, methods to illuminate cells, the use of fluidics to guide the cells individually past the illuminating beam, the types of signals emitted by the cells and the detection of those signals, the conversion of light signals to digital data, and the use of computers to correlate and analyze the data after they are stored in a data file. The final section of the chapter will discuss the use of a flow cytometer to sort cells. This chapter can be read as a brief, self-contained survey. It can also be read as a gateway with signposts into the field. Other chapters in this book will provide more details, more references, and even an intriguing view of the future of cytometry.

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Acknowledgments

Howard Shapiro and Ben Verwer have provided me with advice on some of the electronic and illumination aspects of flow cytometry. I thank them for their help; all mistakes are very much my own.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Englert Cell Analysis Laboratory of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center and Department of Physiology, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH, USA

    Alice L. Givan

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  1. Alice L. Givan
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Correspondence to Alice L. Givan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Center, Flow Cytometry Core Facility, George Washington University, I Street NW 2300, Washington, 20037, District of Columbia, USA

    Teresa S. Hawley

  2. Medical Center, Dept. Anatomy & Regenerative Biology, George Washington University, I Street NW 2300, Washington, 20037, District of Columbia, USA

    Robert G. Hawley

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Givan, A.L. (2011). Flow Cytometry: An Introduction. In: Hawley, T., Hawley, R. (eds) Flow Cytometry Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 699. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61737-950-5_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61737-950-5_1

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-949-9

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