Open AccessLabel-free high-throughput cell screening in flow
Author(s) -
Ata Mahjoubfar,
Claire Chen,
Kayvan Niazi,
Shahrooz Rabizadeh,
Bahram Jalali
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.4.001618
Subject(s) - flow cytometry , computer science , biological system , granularity , sensitivity (control systems) , throughput , cytometry , biomedical engineering , flow (mathematics) , cell counting , materials science , cell , chemistry , electronic engineering , biology , mathematics , medicine , cell cycle , operating system , telecommunications , biochemistry , genetics , geometry , engineering , wireless
Flow cytometry is a powerful tool for cell counting and biomarker detection in biotechnology and medicine especially with regards to blood analysis. Standard flow cytometers perform cell type classification both by estimating size and granularity of cells using forward- and side-scattered light signals and through the collection of emission spectra of fluorescently-labeled cells. However, cell surface labeling as a means of marking cells is often undesirable as many reagents negatively impact cellular viability or provide activating/inhibitory signals, which can alter the behavior of the desired cellular subtypes for downstream applications or analysis. To eliminate the need for labeling, we introduce a label-free imaging-based flow cytometer that measures size and cell protein concentration simultaneously either as a stand-alone instrument or as an add-on to conventional flow cytometers. Cell protein concentration adds a parameter to cell classification, which improves the specificity and sensitivity of flow cytometers without the requirement of cell labeling. This system uses coherent dispersive Fourier transform to perform phase imaging at flow speeds as high as a few meters per second.