Ten-Minute Guide to Flow Cytometer Instrument Operation

severe

High Background Fluorescence in All Populations

All cell populations including negative controls show elevated fluorescence, reducing signal-to-noise ratio and making it difficult to distinguish positive from negative populations.

💡 4 · ✓ 4

moderate

Suboptimal Scatter Properties and Poor Resolution

Cells display low Forward Scatter (FSC) and Side Scatter (SSC) values. Populations appear poorly defined or compressed in scatter plots.

💡 4 · ✓ 4

moderate

Cell Cycle Phases Not Resolved in DNA Histogram

Histogram for DNA content does not show distinct G0/G1, S, and G2/M phase peaks. Peaks are broad with high coefficients of variation (CVs).

💡 3 · ✓ 3

moderate

Multiple Cell Populations When Expecting Single Population

Flow cytometry plots display two or more distinct cell populations where only one homogeneous population was expected. A second population often appears at approximately twice the fluorescence intensity of the primary population.

💡 3 · ✓ 3