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Automated cytometers in which cells flowing in a sheath fluid are ionized one at a time and then analyzed by the detection of cell labels that incorporate stable (i.e. nonradioactive) heavy metal isotopes. Cell stains or labels generally consist of antibodies conjugated to rare earth metals (typically metals from the lanthanide series) or nucleic acid intercalators conjugated to rhodium or iridium. Mass cytometers typically consist of a nebulizer (i.e. spray chamber) that generates droplets of single cells flowing in a sheath fluid; a high-temperature (approximately 7,000 Kelvin) plasma torch that ionizes all cellular content; and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer that analyzes the ions of individual cells and quantifies the relative mass of each ion.
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