This technique is commonly used in basic science research and laboratory diagnostic purpose.
It involves the labelling of white blood cells with antibodies directed against surface proteins on their membrane.
The whole procedure can be performed on cells from the blood, bone marrow or spinal fluid in a matter of a few hours.
[citation needed] Immunophenotyping is a very common flow cytometry test in which fluorophore-conjugated antibodies are used as probes for staining target cells with high avidity and affinity.
This technique allows rapid and easy phenotyping of each cell in a heterogeneous sample according to the presence or absence of a protein combination.