Apoptosis

With the wide variety of tools currently available and in the works, scientists can assess apoptosis in individual and populations of cells, in samples from live animals to formalin fixed and paraffin embedded (FFPE) microtome slices. Light or fluorescent microscopes, flow cytometers, or spectrophotometers are used for assay detection, and to interrogate parameters ranging from RNA and protein expression, to histone modification, to plasma membrane phospholipid orientation, to membrane potential. The study of apoptosis' defective processes have been associated with a variety of diseases such as cancer. Assay can be outsourced to service facilities or brought in house with custom reagents or pre-made apoptosis assay kits.