Flow Cytometry

Introduction

Recent approaches to the study of membrane proteins have involved detecting specific proteins by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-gel electrophoresis, immunoprecipitation (l), purification of individual proteins and the use of fluorescent probes and fluorescence microscopy which is the time-consuming and laborious techniques. Only the latter technique permits following the fate of an individual membrane protein on single cells, but it is qualitative and insensitive. The flow cytometer and the fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) are widely used analysis tools in biomedical research and clinical diagnostics. Flow cytometry provides a rapid and detailed analysis of cellular populations, attested as a valuable tool for diagnosis by cell counting, cell sorting,

biomarker detection and protein engineering, by defining different cell types in heterogeneous cell populations, assessing the purity of isolated subpopulations and analyzing cell size and volume along with relative fluorescence intensity. It is predominantly used to measure fluorescence intensity produced by fluorescent-labeled antibodies detecting proteins, or ligands that bind to specific cell-associated molecules such as Propidium Iodide binding to DNA.

The unique capability to analyze a large number of single cells for several parameters simultaneously, flow cytometry has changed our understanding of the behavior of cells in culture and of the population dynamics even of clonal populations. The fully hands on training in flow cytometry provided by IABRD gives the  platform for clinicians, basic researchers to get chance to apply in Bio-pharmaceuticals, Research institutes and R n D departments working in fields of Cell Biology, Cell Health, Immunology, Stem cells, Biosynthesis of active ingradients, Drug discovery programmes for cell cycle studies, gene expression levels, intracellular cytokine measurement, vaccine analysis, phagocytosis, and much more.

Besides its applications in basic biomedical research, flow cytometry can be utilised in hematological diagnosis to monitor the progression of diseases such as leukemia and AIDS. However, Flow cytometry has been developed to rapidly enumerate microorganisms; to distinguish between viable, metabolically active and dead cells, which is of great importance in food development and food spoilage; and to detect specific pathogenic microorganisms by conjugating antibodies with fluorochromes, which is of great use in the food industry.

Thus by appearing for this course you will gain not only expertise and know-how, but opens wide array of opportunities in different fields of life sciences.

Ongoing Projects:

Anti-cancer Drug Development: Aspects for sustainable Drug Development.

Despite major research in oncology R&D, the translation of research advances into medicines that surely improve the treatment of many cancer which remains frustratingly slow. The key challenges in anti-cancer drug development and mechanisms of drug molecule are meagerly studied. The flow cytometric analysis is proved to be the best option in recent time to understand such mechanisms on cell cycle studies of cancerous cell line. Hence; IABRD has taken initiative to decipher effect and mechanisms of drug molecules in cancer cell lines at cellular level.