Applications at the Exeter Centre for Cytomics

Immunophenotyping:
Used in immunology to identify and characterize different immune cell populations, such as T-cells, B-cells, and subsets, by analyzing surface markers.

Cancer Cell Profiling:
In cancer research, cytometry is employed to assess cancer cell characteristics, including ploidy, proliferation, apoptosis, and drug sensitivity. 

Hematological Cell Differentiation:
Hematology utilizes cytometry for the differentiation and quantification of blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Stem Cell Characterization:
In cell development research, cytometry is used to characterize and sort stem cells based on specific markers and properties. 

Cellular Metabolism:
The latest tools in cytometry allow investigation of cellular energy utilisation and nutrient uptake  

Cell Signalling:
Staining against intracellular markers allows analysis of signalling and phospho-signalling pathways

Plant Cell Morphology:
Plant biology employs cytometry to analyze plant cell morphology, including ploidy, cell size and shape, which can aid in understanding plant growth and development. 

Fungal Viability Analysis:
In fungal research, cytometry is used to assess fungal viability, spore germination, and susceptibility to antifungal agents. 

Microbial Community Analysis:
In microbiology, cytometry can be applied to characterize microbial communities in various environments, including soil, water, and the human microbiome. 

Phenotypic and Genetic Screening:
Cell sorting allows selection of mutants from forward genetic screens. 

High-Throughput Drug Screening:
Cytometry is integral to drug discovery, enabling high-throughput screening of compounds for their effects on cells, including drug efficacy and toxicity. 
 

Marine Identification:
In marine biology, cytometry helps identify and quantify various plankton and algal species to study their abundance and diversity. 

Wastewater Pathogen Detection:
In wastewater research, cytometry aids in detecting and quantifying pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, to assess the effectiveness of wastewater treatment. 

Environmental Water Quality Assessment:
Cytometry assists in monitoring and assessing environmental water quality by measuring parameters like waterborne particles, microorganisms, and pollutants. 

Microplastic Particle Analysis:
Environmental research uses cytometry to detect and quantify microplastic particles in water samples, contributing to microplastic pollution studies. 

Extracellular Vesicle Profiling:
In extracellular vesicle research, cytometry is used to analyze and characterize vesicles, including size, surface markers, and cargo. 

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing:
In transcriptomics, cytometry combined with single-cell RNA sequencing allows the analysis of gene expression at the single-cell level, providing insights into cellular heterogeneity.  

Cytometry Data Analysis and Machine Learning:
In bioinformatics and machine/deep learning, cytometry data is processed, analyzed, and used to develop machine learning models for recognition, classification, and predictive modeling.