Principle of Mass Cytometry

Abstract

Mass cytometry is an evolving technology combining flow cytometry methodology with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). It overcomes flow cytometry's inherent limitation, by conjugated metal isotopes as reporter tags to antibodies instead of fluorophores. Its great advantage lies in its capacity to analyze more than 45 parameters simultaneously, at a single‐cell level, with very low signal spillover between adjacent masses. Mass cytometry high parameterization offers unparalleled characterization of single cells within heterogeneous populations, in a system‐wide view manner. Accordingly, it has been applied for a deeper understanding of specific cell subsets and network signaling. These new phenotypic characterization capabilities have provided a significant advancement in our ability to resolve biological questions. The high dimensionality of the data necessitates the development of new analytical tools, using data reduction and clustering of cells, in order to visualize and interpret the data. In this article, we will discuss the main principles of mass cytometry, its applications, main advancements, and the tools available for analysis.