Advances in flow cytometry for drug screening

Importance of the field: Flow cytometry is considered today as a mature technology. Recently, it has become an accurate tool for screening applications. Yet, not many studies have been published emphasizing flow cytometry as a tool of choice for drug screening except multiplex bead assay. Areas covered in this review: Scanning the literature for technology breakouts in screening by flow is not an easy task. When a private industry has an accurate and fast screening technology on hands, why should they make public a tool precious for their screening applications? On the European academic side, there are regrettably few grants to help develop and publish screening methodologies. So, a less scientific way to find out is a close market survey seeking new instruments and associated kits or new methods. From here, can one expect flow cytometry to be a tool with new potential for drug discovery? What the reader will gain: As the machines are getting simpler to use, a need for plug-and-analyze software has emerged. New analysis tools remain an important step as they will permit to analyze and compare several parameters in a multi-well format simultaneously and this for several cell types for cytomics: a multiparametric, dynamic approach to cell research as cytomics has a practical role to play in drug discovery within the immediate limitations of cell-based analyses. Take home message: Developing new software with multi-well comparison capabilities and most importantly real-time interaction on cytograms can easily circumvent the lack of fluorescent channels on small bench top machines.