Flow cytometry fluorescent-activated cell sorting FACS

The chemical composition of particles can be just as varied as their shape. Commercial particles can consist of polymers or copolymers, inorganic constructs, metals and semiconductors, superparamagnetic composites, biodegradable constructs, and synthetic dendrimers and dendrons. Often, both the composition of a particle and its shape govern its suitability for a particular purpose. For instance, composite particles containing superparamagnetic iron oxide typically are used for small-scale affinity separations, especially for cell separations followed by flow cytometry analysis or fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Core-shell semiconductor particles, by... 

Hematopoietic cells can be identified by cell surface markers via flow cytometry. If testing of a purified population of either HSCs or differentiated cells is desired, hematopoietic cells can be isolated by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) or magnetic separation by either positive or negative selection of known hematopoietic surface markers. Continued study of the markers which distinguish HSCs and their derivatives to clearly identify HSCs must be done in order to further examine and utilize these various cell populations. 

A fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) is a flow cytometry instrument used to separate and identify cells in a heterogeneous population. Cell mixtures to be sorted are first bound to fluorescent dyes such as fluorescein or phycoerythrin. The labeled cells are then pumped through the instrument and are excited by a laser beam. Cells that fluoresce are detected, and an electrostatic charge is applied. The charged cells are separated using voltage deflection. 

Note CHO = Chinese hamster ovary cells, ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, FACS = fluorescent-activated cell sorting or flow cytometry IHC = immunohistochemistry, LBI = ligand-binding inhibition, rec = recovery, RMN = rat micronucleus. 

A flow cytometer identifies different cells by measuring the light that they scatter and the fluorescence that they emit as they flow through a laser beam thus it can sort out cells of a particular type from a mixture. Indeed, a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS), an instrument based on flow cytometry, can select one cell from thousands of other cells (Figure 5-34). For example, if an antibody specific to a certain cell-surface molecule is linked to a fluorescent dye, any... 

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