Live From SPIE Optics + Photonics 2011: Edmund Optics Flow Cytometry Demo

Stephan Briggs of Edmund Optics describes their flow cytometry demo, which is built from standard parts in their catalog and showcases what could be created from Edmund Optics parts.

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Video Transcript

Hello, I'm Stephan Briggs of Edmund Optics, and today we're looking at our flow cytometry demo. Flow cytometry is a method of detecting cells - healthy cells or irregular cells - in a fluid sample. Here, we have a mockup version of this. It's much larger, not actually a biological sample, but we have air flow through a water tube.

What we can really detect here is just irregularities in the cell. For example, in sickle cell anemia, you have a sickle shape instead of a round shape. Things like iron deficiency, where the cells won't be as healthy as a standard cell. Here the bubble is going through, and we're using a laser signal to actually detect the break in the signal.

Then, in the other axis, we have an RGB signal. We're using our standard beam splitters, dichroic beam splitters, into photoreceiver modules. Everything you see here is a standard part in our catalog. We are really just showcasing what you can potentially build if you put your mind to it. Something as detailed as a flow cytometry system, certainly, is doable.