Hello and welcome to the Flow Matters blog! In this new monthly series, brought to you by the Flow Cytometry team at HBRI, we will highlight the multitude of ways flow cytometry can be used to empower clinical trial research, as well as shed light on the intricacies of how flow cytometry works. Though we work all over the world, we are united by our passion for advancing clinical research through cutting-edge bioanalytical assay development.
Finding a Needle in a Haystack: The Power of Flow Cytometry in MRD Detection in Oncology
Published: November 19, 2025
Minimal residual disease (MRD) has become a critical biomarker in hematologic oncology, guiding treatment decisions and improving patient outcomes. Detecting MRD means identifying a few malignant cells among millions of healthy ones — a challenge that demands precision and sensitivity. In this blog, we explore why flow cytometry remains central to MRD detection, the principles behind assay design, and how emerging technologies like spectral flow and machine learning are shaping the future of precision medicine.
Seeing in Full Color: Selecting the Right Reagents and Instrumentation for Your Flow Cytometry Assay
Published: September 22, 2025
Designing a flow cytometry assay isn’t just about adding more colors; it’s about making the right choices. In this installment of Flow Matters, Christopher Rota, PhD, explores how reagent selection, instrument setup, and panel design work together to deliver reliable, high-quality results. Whether you’re building a multi-marker panel or troubleshooting overlap issues, this guide provides practical insights to help you see your data in full color.
Understanding Autoimmunity: How Flow Cytometry Drives Clinical Trials Forward
Published: August 12, 2025
Every autoimmune disease tells a different story, and no two patients are alike. This unpredictability makes designing effective clinical trials a challenge. Flow cytometry provides a powerful solution, delivering precise, real-time insights into immune cell populations and biomarkers that uncover patterns of immune dysfunction.
In this blog, we explore how flow cytometry supports patient stratification, tracks treatment response, and informs key trial decisions. By mapping the immune landscape with unmatched precision, researchers can design smarter trials and develop more targeted therapies, bringing hope to millions living with autoimmune conditions.
Principles of Clinical Flow Assay Design
Published: July 8, 2025
Clinical flow cytometry plays a critical role in modern clinical trials, supporting immunophenotyping, rare cell detection, and biomarker analysis across a wide range of therapeutic areas. Designing a flow cytometry assay for clinical use requires careful consideration of analytical performance, panel complexity, assay validation, and regulatory compliance. In this blog, HBRI experts share key principles for designing fit-for-purpose flow assays built to deliver reliable, high-quality data in clinical and translational research.
Explore the core principles of clinical flow cytometry assay design covering panel development, biomarker strategy, and validation best practices for clinical trials.
The Role of Flow Cytometry in CAR-T Therapy and Clinical Trials
Published: June 4, 2025
CAR-T cell therapy represents one of the most promising frontiers in cancer immunotherapy—offering personalized and targeted treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory blood cancers. But CAR-T doesn’t act alone. Flow cytometry plays a critical, often overlooked, role throughout the entire CAR-T pipeline.
In this expert-led blog, we examine:
- The scientific and clinical distinction between autologous and allogeneic CAR-T therapies
- How flow cytometry ensures quality, potency, and safety of CAR-T products
- Flow’s essential role in real-time patient monitoring, MRD detection, and immune profiling
- A spotlight on Carvykti clinical development, where flow cytometry drove key decisions
Why It Matters: From process development to late-phase trials, integrating high-quality flow cytometry is critical to maximizing therapeutic impact and meeting regulatory requirements.
How to Go with the Flow (Cytometry) In Clinical Trials
Published: March 27, 2025
Flow cytometry (FCM for short) is not just a technique; it is an opportunity. It is a skeleton key, able to unlock a deeper, richer understanding of the biology lurking just beneath the surface of every clinical sample. We hope this blog will help unlock its potential for you as well.
Reach out to our experts and discover how we can help you transform your research and advance health
