Cytometry and cell sorting facility

Flow cytometry is a multiparametric analysis technique based on passing particles in suspension (cells, microorganisms, microparticles, etc) at high speed (thousands of particles per second), ordered, and one by one through a beam of focused light (laser). The impact with the laser produces fluorescent signals that correspond to different parameters (including a particle's relative size, structural complexity and relative fluorescence intensity). An optical and electronic system collects these parameters, then records and digitizes them so that they can be measured simultaneously in a cell.

The flow cytometer measures the morphological characteristics of cells (relative size and cell complexity, etc) and their antigenic, biophysical or biochemical characteristics (membrane studies, DNA content, enzymatic activity, proliferation, apoptosis, etc). A cell separator has the same benefits as a flow cytometer, while incorporating the ability to separate particles or cells selectively.

The applications of flow cytometry and cell separation are numerous, hence their widespread use in the field of biomedicine (haematology, immunology, pharmacology, oncology, microbiology, genetics, etc). The cytometry platform has a wide range of applications for flow cytometry and cell separation and it develops or implements new applications based on the demand from researchers.