Applications of CyTOF in Brain Immune Component Studies

The brain is the most heterogeneous and complex tissue in the body. Previous studies have shown that immune cells are essential functional components in both healthy and pathological brains. Cytometry by the time of flight (CyTOF) is a high-dimensional single-cell detection technology that allows measurements of up to 100 cell markers with a small number of samples. This technique enables the identification and characterization of various cell types at the single-cell level under steady-state and diseased brain conditions. This review outlines three major advantages of the CyTOF technique compared with the traditional flow cytometry approach. We also discuss CyTOF applications in brain immune cell component research in both healthy and pathological brains.