What is the Technology?

Flow Cytometry and Mass Spectrometry are widely used analytical tools in cancer research. Flow Cytometry (FACS or Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting) has been well established for cell counting, cell sorting and biomarker discovery. Its ability to utilize 14+ colors makes it the technique-of-choice for isolation of many cell subtypes especially rare cells such as stem cells. Mass Spectrometry is unparalleled in its ability to selectively detect and quantify target proteins at the molecular level. By combining these two powerful techniques, it is possible to isolate highly selective cellular populations from biological fluids and quantify the cell’s specific proteins.

Why combine these two Techniques?

By combining cell sorting and mass spectrometry techniques, a researcher is able to better understand the differences between a normal cell and a diseased cell at the molecular level. In addition, cell-to-cell variability can easily be assessed. In a clinical setting, biomarker evaluation can be completed by assessing specific cell types by molecular profiling of each translated protein.

Study in Practice

FlowMetric, Inc. and PharmaCadence Analytical Services, LLC have partnered to better understand the differences at a molecular level of a specific subset of normal healthy donor cells. To read more about our findings in this study, please click below to download our poster presented at AACR 2014.