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From photon, through conversion from light, into an electron, into an electronic signal pulse. The journey of a photon, through to its data representation via flow cytometry, involves the detection system and the electronics, and basically following a bouncing photon to its ultimate digitization. This article provides 3 key takeaways in the process from photons through to end data for analysis.

Using flow cytometry and a host of different reagents, it is possible to tease out how your cells may have died. Using these tools, you can readily eliminate the various suspects and come to your conclusion as to how your treatment may have killed your cells of interest. Here are some reagents to consider when measuring apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy.

Flow cytometry is a very powerful tool and can answer many questions if the experiments are properly designed. There is a learning curve that takes a bit of time, patience, and practice, but soon you may be finding excuses to perform flow cytometry experiments and we will be here to help you with best practices. Using this checklist will help you to design and perform consistent experiments every time.

T cell differentiation and effector function regulation is an area that needs to be better understood. Until then, speculation combined with best practices help you determine your T cell population’s status. Functional profiling is the primary determinant with surface markers as supporting evidence to assess whether your T cell is activated, resting, or naïve. Here are ways to help differentiate your T cells.

Poorly designed panels, failure to plan for the end-results, and not taking into account instrument characteristics, can all result in a failed sort, lost opportunity, and delay in the necessary data. Take the time at the beginning, before starting a rare event sorting, to understand the different issues that will potentially impact your outcome, and develop a plan to address each of them. Here are 4 considerations to keep in mind.

Most of the interactions that a user has with a flow cytometer is with the fluidics system, and many of the issues that users will face in troubleshooting problems on the instrument will also be here. Understanding how the fluidics system works on your flow cytometer will help you prevent many common issues, prepare your samples correctly, and protect your data. Here are four important things to consider about the fluidics system in a flow cytometer.

Fluorescence compensation is one of the more difficult, understandably confusing, and misunderstood aspects of flow cytometry. Understanding what compensation is, why it is necessary, and what to expect when using it, are critical for generating useful and high-quality data from flow cytometry experiments. The definition and mechanics of flow cytometry compensation and the critical concept that compensation’s most basic principle relies on are discussed here.

Flow cytometry is a powerful technique impacting both clinical and research. When looking for a career, flow cytometry can take you many places. An experienced flow cytometrist can find a job in a biotechnology company, academia, a clinical setting, and more. To be successful in the field, it’s important to seek out new educational opportunities and network with your peers. Here are 5 tips that can help you turn flow cytometry into a successful career.

While cells between 5-10 microns in diameter are typically the simplest cells to sort, quality must still be preserved to prevent sacrificing levels of purity, recovery, and viability. While sorting cells 5-10 microns in diameter does not present a particular challenge compared to other cell types, the standard procedures presented in this article must be followed to guarantee quality sorts, time and time again.

There are numerous different ways to use keywords in FlowJo and other data analysis programs. The problem is most scientists fail to annotate their data properly and pay the price when they want to repeat their experiments. By taking advantage of the keywords listed in this article and by using keyword formulas, you can save time during your analysis. Most importantly, when you go to reanalyze your data, you can utilize your previous keywords and formulas to save even more time.

Good flow cytometry depends on a high quality, single cell suspension. If the cells put through the instrument are not of high quality, the ensuing data will be difficult to analyze. Likewise, if the sample is clumpy, one will not be able to readily distinguish cells of interest from the clumps they are attached to. Sample preparation becomes the critical first step in any flow cytometry experiment. To get high quality results, follow these 3 sample preparation steps.

This article is the second in a two-part series outlining some of the major components of the optical systems used in flow cytometry to provide insight and understanding to what happens before a signal is produced from the PMT detectors. Serving as a knowledge toolkit that can help troubleshoot problems you may encounter when performing your next cytometry experiment, this article investigates lenses, mirrors and filters in your flow cytometry equipment.