**Preface XI**


Chapter 5 **Efficient Interpretation of Multiparametric Data Using Principal Component Analysis as an Example of Quality Assessment of Microalgae 81** Toshiyuki Takahashi

Preface

other proteins in a multiplexed format.

parametric potential of flow cytometry.

tent analysis.

In spite of flow cytometry being the gold standard in hematologic and oncohematologic re‐ search and diagnosis, its use in industrial drug discovery and research has been minimal for many years. Additionally, it has been used for simple and low content analysis, from cell cycle evaluation to transfection level control, often on homogeneous cell populations. This is because for many years it has not been a widespread technique in research laboratories and its use requires in-depth training and experience to gain reproducible and sound results. More recently, instruments have evolved that are now both stable and easy to use, and anal‐ ysis software has become user friendly and affordable, even for beginners. Industrial re‐ search has implemented flow cytometry in routinely used techniques because of its validation as a simple and cost-effective substitute for many assays, because of its radioli‐ gand bindings, and because of the strong automation achievable. Recently, various highthroughput flow cytometry screening applications have been reported in formats up to 1536. In addition to cell-based applications, there has also been an increase in performing highthroughput flow cytometry using bead-based immunoassays to screen for cytokines and

Flow cytometry has been incorporated in research programs as a flexible and multipurpose technique to evaluate many biological responses and readouts with a single instrument. Flow cytometers allow high-speed analysis of particles (up to thousands of single cells per second) and measure multiparameters (up to 18) on single cells simultaneously. Because of its characteristics, flow cytometry can be used to perform high-throughput analysis but also high content screening. Complex tissues can be homogenized and treated as mixtures of cell lineages in a single run, while composing cell populations can be isolated later during the analysis allowing the visualization of an entire tissue and of the cell interactions and changes in different physiopathological conditions. Using cell barcoding techniques, differ‐ ent samples, treated in different ways or deriving from different tissues or experimental conditions, can be mixed and directly compared in a single run, further increasing the multi‐

Recently, the introduction of imaging flow cytometry has filled the gap between flow cy‐ tometry and imaging allowing the precise evaluation of visual parameters as a speckled dis‐ tribution of mutant proteins inside the cells, which is impossible to evaluate in conventional cytometry. Flow cytometry can be further exploited than it is today using the full potential of new instruments and new reagents and kits available for multiparameter and high con‐

This book collects some examples of how different parameters can be combined and ana‐ lyzed to obtain a valuable analysis in different contexts. Some chapters describe applications
