Assays

There are 4 major ways to sort cells. The first way can use magnetic beads coupled to antibodies and pass the cells through a magnetic field. The labeled cells will stick, and the unlabeled cells will remain in the supernatant. The second way is to use some sort of mechanical force like a flapper or air stream that separates the target cells from the bulk population. The third way is the recently introduced microfluidics sorter, which uses microfluidics channels to isolate the target cells. The last method, which is the most common––based on Fuwyler’s work––is the electrostatic cell sorter. This…

There are 4 major ways to sort cells. The first way can use magnetic beads coupled to antibodies and pass the cells through a magnetic field. The labeled cells will stick, and the unlabeled cells will remain in the supernatant. The second way is to use some sort of mechanical force like a flapper or air stream that separates the target cells from the bulk population. The third way is the recently introduced microfluidics sorter, which uses microfluidics channels to isolate the target cells. The last method, which is the most common––based on Fuwyler’s work––is the electrostatic cell sorter. This…

The most common flow assay is undoubtedly immunophenotyping, in which fluorescently tagged antibodies are used to bind to cellular proteins. This allows you to determine the types of cells present. As long as there is a fluorescent reporter available, it is possible to measure biological processes using flow cytometry – especially in a phenotypically defined manner. Probably the most common of these assays is the calcium flux assay. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to calcium, it is possible to measure magnesium and zinc concentrations, reactive oxygen species, and even membrane potential using flow. Today,…