Training Course in Flow Cytometry
Multiparameter Flow Cytometry & Analysis
Principal Investigator: Marcelo Sztein, M.D., Leader, Immunology Group, CVD, UMB
It is now known that the immune system, even when only the cell types residing in blood are considered, is composed of hundreds of phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets. It is no longer tenable to study immune-related effects using "bulk" lymphocyte populations.
For example, investigation of "fine" lymphocyte subsets is necessary to understand the mechanisms of immunological disease and protection. Because of the limited amounts of cells that can be obtained from humans, multiparameter flow cytometry offers a powerful means to study various specific T cell subpopulations, as well as their life cycle (activation and proliferation), effector function (cytokine production) and their homing potential to BALT, Skin and Gut simultaneously in a single tube. However, use of multiparameter flow cytometry requires a considerable amount of experience from the practitioners of flow cytometry research.
This course will address the theoretical and practical aspects of conducting state-of-the-art multiparameter flow cytometry as applied to immunological measurements.