Cellular Heterogeneity

Tess Melinda Brodie, Vinko Tosevski

Mass cytometry (cytometry by time-of-flight, CyTOF) is a high-dimensional single-cell analytical technology that allows for highly multiplexed measurements of protein or nucleic acid abundances by bringing together the detection capacity of atomic mass spectroscopy and the sample preparation workflow typical of regular flow cytometry. In 2014 the mass cytometer was adapted for the acquisition of samples from microscopy slides (termed imaging mass cytometry), greatly increasing the applicability of this technology with the inclusion of spatial information. By using antibodies (or other probes) labeled with purified metal isotopes, mass cytometers are currently able to detect more than 50 different parameters at a single-cell level, exceeding the dimensionality of any other flow cytometry methodology currently on the market. This capability licenses unprecedented possibilities in many areas dealing with complex cellular mixtures (immunology, cell biology, and beyond), improving biomarker discovery and moving us closer to affordable personalized medicine than before.