What are the advantages of flow cytometry?
Flow cytometry offers several advantages over conventional methods. The problem of sample heterogeneity was mentioned above. In the flow cytometer measurements are made on individual cells and so sample heterogeneity can be quantified. This means that under some circumstances it may be possible to identify subpopulations of cells or to detect contaminants. Flow cytometry is a rapid technique; measurements are typically made at rates of 1000 cells.s-1. This means that many thousands of cells can be measured in a realistic time scale.
