Coulter Corporation

Ronald M Hamelik

James C Wood

Mark Lee Shenkin

A method is provided to ascertain the total number of cells per unit volume of a cell specimen in an apparatus which does not measure the volume of a suspension containing the specimen as it is being analyzed. The method includes mixing a suspension of a known quantity of particles having a first light scatter signal with a known volume of a cell specimen having a second light scatter signal different from the first light scatter signal to obtain a suspension having a concentration of particles per specimen volume, passing each of said particles and each cell in said cell specimen, in turn, through a light beam, each of said particles and cells producing at least one forward light scattering pattern, counting the number of cells and the number of particles in a portion of said suspension, and determining the total number of cells per unit volume of the specimen. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method further includes correlating the light scattering pattern and fluorescence signal of the particles to a predetermined ratio which represents a threshold of minimum instrument performance and adjusting, if the predetermined ratio has not been attained, the operation of said instrument, while the particles are within the incident beam of light, until the measured ratio reaches said predetermined ratio whereby the instrument is analyzing both particles and cells in said cell suspension.

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Miami, FL, United States of America

Ronald M Hamelik