Technique using an instrument system for making, processing, and displaying one or
more measurements on individual cells obtained from a cell suspension. Cells are usually
stained with one or more fluorescent dyes specific to cell components of interest,
e.g., DNA, and fluorescence of each cell is measured as it rapidly transverses the
excitation beam (laser or mercury arc lamp). Fluorescence provides a quantitative
measure of various biochemical and biophysical properties of the cell, as well as
a basis for cell sorting. Other measurable optical parameters include light absorption
and light scattering, the latter being applicable to the measurement of cell size,
shape, density, granularity, and stain uptake