Suspension array technology: new tools for gene and protein analysis.

Flow cytometry has long been a key tool in the analysis of lymphocytes and other cells, owing to its ability to make quantitative, homogeneous, multiparameter measurements of particles. New developments in illumination sources, digital signal processing and microsphere chemistry are driving the development of flow cytometry in new areas of biomedical research. In particular. the maturation of approaches to perform highly parallel analyses using suspension arrays of microspheres with different morphospectral features is making flow cytometry an important tool in protein and genetic analysis. In this paper, we review the development of suspension array technology (SAT), current applications in protein and genomic analysis, and the prospects for this platform in a variety of large scale screening applications.