FLOW CYTOMETRIC CELL SCANNING AND CELL SO RTING - CURRENT STATUS AND PERSPECTIVES FOR PATHOLOGY

Although flow cytometry was initially used just to count cells, it has developed into a method of measuring the physical and chemical proper ties of individual cells when they are detected in a fluid stream by e lectronic sensors. With the application of fluorescence molecules, esp ecially fluorescence-conjugated antibodies that are excited by focused laser light, the spectrum of application has expanded and has for yea rs exceeded the traditional field of hematology. The article presents applications for pathology with the main focus on oncological problems such as DNA multiparameter analysis and proliferation assessment. In addition, the basic aspects of the different types of user-friendly fl ow cytometers are explained here.