Flow cytometry is now well established in research laboratories and is gaining increasing use in clinical medicine and pathology. The technique enables multiple simultaneous light scatter and fluorescence measurements to be made at the individual cell level at very rapid rates and results in very large quantities of data being collected. Data, however, is just a series of numbers which have to be converted to information which, in turn, must be shown to have meaning. This is the most important single aspect of flow cytometry but it has received relatively little attention. One of the frequently voiced advantages of the technology is that it produces 'good statistics' because large numbers of cells have been analysed. However, it is not very often that confidence limits are placed on results, hence the reader has little or no feel for the inherent variability in the information produced. This book covers very basic number handling techniques, regression analysis, probability functions,
Flow cytometry is a technique for measuring both scattered light and fluorescence from single cells at very rapid rates. Typically up to 5000 cells can be analysed per second. Using various fluorochromes this allows a cell population to be analysed for cells showing certain characteristics such as the presence of a particular enzyme, cellular constituent or other gene product. The information it can provide is invaluable in helping to diagnose certain cancers as well as aiding pure research into many aspects of cell biology such as the cell cycle and gene expression. This book describes the technology in a simple and direct way. The fundamental concepts upon which the technology is based are outlined and the book goes on to describe flow cytometers and what can be gained from using them in biology and medicine. The book gives a particularly detailed account of how artifactual results can arise and where 'noise' is generated. Anyone starting to use, or already using this technique, will
Flow cytometry is now well established in research laboratories and is gaining increasing use in clinical medicine and pathology. The technique enables multiple simultaneous light scatter and fluorescence measurements to be made at the individual cell level at very rapid rates and results in very large quantities of data being collected. Data, however, is just a series of numbers which have to be converted to information which, in turn, must be shown to have meaning. This is the most important single aspect of flow cytometry but it has received relatively little attention. One of the frequently voiced advantages of the technology is that it produces 'good statistics' because large numbers of cells have been analysed. However, it is not very often that confidence limits are placed on results, hence the reader has little or no feel for the inherent variability in the information produced. This book covers very basic number handling techniques, regression analysis, probability functions,
