Different Cell Counting Principles and Applications|News & Events|Hangzhou Allsheng Instruments

Different Cell Counting Principles and Applications

Release time：2025-08-13 ALLSHENG

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As life sciences continue to flourish, cell counters are becoming increasingly important as key tools in scientific research and medical practice. From basic biological research to cutting-edge medical diagnostics and the thriving biopharmaceutical industry, cell counters have always played an indispensable role, laying a solid foundation for the accurate acquisition and in-depth analysis of experimental data.

Cell counting involves determining concentration by measuring the number of cells per unit volume (e.g., cells/mL). Its core approach involves counting and converting a known small volume of cell suspension sample. This technology plays a vital role in medical diagnosis, cell therapy, experimental research, and environmental testing.

01 Advantages, Disadvantages and Application Directions of Common Cell Counting Methods

Manual Cell Counting

✦Principle: Use a hemocytometer to directly observe and count cells under a microscope

✦Advantages: Low cost, simple operation, and intuitive observation of cell morphology

✦Disadvantages: Time-consuming, susceptible to human error, poor reproducibility, not suitable for high-throughput samples

✦Applicable direction: Suitable for small-scale laboratories, cell culture maintenance, and simple cell counting needs

Image-Based Automated Cell Counter

✦Principle: Use optical system to capture cell images and use software algorithms to identify and count cells

✦Advantages: Easy to operate, fast counting speed, and can provide information such as cell size and shape

✦Disadvantages: Difficulty counting low-concentration cells, and limited accuracy for samples with cell clusters or irregular shapes

✦Applicable direction: Suitable for most cell types, especially scenarios requiring rapid and high-throughput counting

Electrical Impedance Cell Counter

✦Principle: Based on the Coulter principle, the resistance change caused by cells passing through the micropore is measured

✦Advantages: Fast counting speed, not affected by cell color or refractive index, and can count all particles

✦Disadvantages: Cannot distinguish between living and dead cells, and cannot count aggregate cells

✦Application direction: Commonly used for complete blood cell count in hospitals

Flow Cytometry

✦Principle: Use fluorescence detection technology to perform multi-parameter analysis of cells

✦Advantages: Can simultaneously analyze cell size, cell cycle, protein expression, etc., and can distinguish different cell types

✦Disadvantages: Expensive equipment, complicated operation, and requires professional personnel

✦Application direction: Mainly used for complex cell analysis and research, such as cell sorting and cell function research

Indirect Cell Counting Method (MTT/CCK8)

✦Principle: Indirectly reflect the number of cells by detecting cell metabolic activity

✦Advantages: No need to count cells directly, the operation is relatively simple

✦Disadvantages: Can only indirectly reflect the number of cells and has requirements for cell metabolic activity

✦Application direction: Suitable for cell proliferation, cytotoxicity and other experiments

02 Common Application Scenarios of Cell Counting

03 Leap-Count 100/100A Overview

Leap-Count 100/100A cell counter leverages advanced optical imaging and intelligent image recognition technology to provide comprehensive cell-related information, including total cells counted, cell concentration, live-dead cell ratio, average cell diameter, average compactness, aggregate, and cell morphology. All data are automatically stored and output in a variety of formats to meet diverse experimental needs. Leap-Count 100/100A demonstrates linearity R² greater than 0.99 for both cell concentration and viability testing.

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