New Fluoro-Chromatic Imaging Cytometer

A new cytometer allows simultaneous analysis of fluorescent and chromatically stained specimens. The cytometer was introduced at the Drug Discovery Technology World Congress in Boston (MA, USA) in August 2004.

The new instrument, called iColor, combines the advantages of flow cytometry, fluorescence image analysis, and immunohistochemistry in one system. Traditionally, flow cytometers have relied solely on measurements obtained from laser excitement of cellular specimens stained with fluorescent dyes. The iColor instrument employs three lasers to simultaneously measure both fluorescent light emitted by specimens stained with fluorescent dyes and the light absorbance resulting from the application of chromatic stains to the same specimens. The resulting data and images provide detailed quantitative and morphologic information that previously would have required the use and expense of two or three different systems.

The iColor is expected to be of particular value for pathology applications in research, drug discovery, and drug safety assessment, where chromatic stains are commonly used. The instrument was developed by CompuCyte Corp. (Cambridge, MA, USA).

"The ability to objectively measure both fluorescence and chromatic signals on tissue sections, cell cultures, and other cell preparations constitutes a milestone advance for oncology and pathology,” said Richard Clatch, M.D., Ph.D., director of hematopathology at Lake Forest Hospital (Lake Forest, IL, USA). "We finally have an instrument that combines the advantages of flow cytometry and image analysis.”



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