Photoacoustic flow cytometry for nanomaterial research

Conventional flow cytometry is a versatile tool for drug research and cell characterization. However, it is poorly suited for quantification of non-fluorescent proteins and artificial nanomaterials without the use of additional labeling. The rapid growth of biomedical applications for small non-fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) for drug delivery, image contrast and therapy enhancement, as well as research focused on natural cell pigments and chromophores, demands high-throughput quantification methods for the non-fluorescent components. In this work, we present an advanced novel photoacoustic (PA) fluorescence flow cytometry (PAFFC) platform that integrates NP quantification though PA detection with conventional sample characterization using fluorescence labeling. PAFFC simplifies high-throughput analysis of cell-NP interactions, optimization of targeted nanodrugs, and NP toxicity assessment by providing a direct correlation between NP uptake and characterization of toxicity markers for every cell.