Re: Viscosity Effects on FCM Analysis
Howard Shapiro (hms@shapirolab.com)
Mon, 16 Jun 1997 21:45:08 -0400 (EDT)
The key fluidic problem in flow cytometry is maintaining laminar flow in
order to maintain relatively uniform core diameter and position; increasing
the viscosity dramatically would probably lead to lower optimal flow
velocity, which would actually be helpful if you wanted to increase
sensitivity by increasing dwell time in the illuminating beam. We, Los
Alamos, and others have used low flow velocities for high-sensitivity flow
cytometry (e.g., scatter measurements of viruses, fluorescence measurements
of DNA fragments). If you used an actual flow nozzle, as with a stream in
air system, viscosity would be a problem; with a closed flow cell, it
shouldn't be. Of course, lower flow velocity will limit the number of events
you can analyze per unit time.
-Howard
CD-ROM Vol 3 was produced by Monica M. Shively and other staff at the
Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories and distributed free of charge
as an educational service to the cytometry community.
If you have any comments please direct them to
Dr. J. Paul Robinson, Professor & Director,
PUCL, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
Phone: (765)-494-0757;
FAX(765) 494-0517;
Web
http://www.cyto.purdue.edu
, EMAIL
cdrom3@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu
