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rqmicro - Flow Cytometry Technology
The rqmicro method for sample preparation works in combination with the analytical method of your choice such as PCR, cultivating cells on agar plates, fluorescence microscopy, etc. The fastest and most precise detection method however is flow cytometry (FCM). Hence, rqmicro products are designed to empower your in-house flow cytometer to deliver reliable and fast results.
Flow cytometry is a laser-based technology for electronic cell counting that allows multiparametric analysis of the properties of thousands of cells per second. The cells labelled with a fluorescent dye pass in front of a laser in a stream of fluid. The laser excites electrons in the fluorescent dye that then return in fractions of a second to their previous state by emitting light. The FCM detects this light signal, which is then transformed into data that is analyzed by a computer using special software.
Since it is a cultivation-independent method, all fluorescence labelled cells present in a sample, also viable but non-culturable (VBNC) or dead cells are quantified by FCM in a matter of minutes.
After immunomagnetic separation, the positive fraction is transferred to fresh tubes. At this point, if a viability assessment is of interest, half of the sample can be transferred into a fresh tube and the rqmicro viability dye can be added.
Then the sample is ready to be analyzed with your flow cytometer. Depending on the instrument, the samples can be analyzed in tube-mode or also in 96-well-plates.
The total and viable cell count of the target cells can then be obtained in a matter of minutes. The cell population is usually visualized in a dot plot.