Mass cytometry

Mass Cytometry couples the single cell high-speed analysis associated with flow cytometry with the ability of atomic mass spectrometry to resolve up to a theoretical limit 100 different metal probes with minimal signal overlap. CyTOF technology currently allows the simultaneous quantification of up to fifty cell surface and intracellular antigens at the single cell level.

In contrast to flow cytometry, antibodies are labelled with stable transition element isotopes to stain cellular epitopes. There are three key advantages over fluorescence-based single cell platforms: 1) avoidance of autofluorescence signals from troublesome cells and tissues; 2) fast panel design capabilities as all antibodies are introduced at once; 3) ease of barcoding to multiplex samples in large scale acquisitions.