Background: In tissue context, researchers and pathologists lack a generally applicable standard for quantitative determination of cytological parameters. Increasing knowledge of disease-specific markers calls for an appropriate in situ tissue cytometry.
Methods: Microscopy-based multicolor tissue cytometry (MMTC) permits multicolor analysis of single cells within tissue context.
Results: Tissue specimens stained for CD45/CD3/CD4/CD8 were analyzed. Specificity as well as reproducibility of MMTC is demonstrated and a novel MMTC-based function to improve visual discrimination of subpopulations is introduced.
Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that MMTC constitutes an important step toward automated and quantitative fluorometry of solid tissues and cell monolayers.
(c) 2006 International Society for Analytical Cytology.