| abstract |
Specified subclasses of blood cells, such as of lymphocytes, are automatically identified based on utilization of antigenic determinants on the cell surface, their reactivity with antibodies which fluoresce under known circumstances, and utilization of principles of flow cytometry. A blood sample is first incubated with a reagent including antibodies to the lymphocyte subclass to be identified, the antibodies being directly or indirectly made fluorescently responsive to particular light (e. g. argon ion laser). The sample is illuminated, a cell at a time, by such focused coherent light, and forward light scatter, right angle light scatter, and fluorescence are detected and used to identify and enumerate cells of the specified subclass. |