NORTHFIELD, Ill. (June 10, 2026) — Spectral flow cytometry is helping clinical laboratories analyze a greater number of cellular markers within a single test, offering pathologists expanded tools for high‑parameter immunophenotyping while using patient samples more efficiently. according to a new article by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
The article, “All the Colors, None of the Drama? A Practical Primer on Spectral Flow Cytometry in Clinical Settings,” explains how the technology captures the full emission spectrum of each fluorophore, enabling laboratories to build larger, high‑parameter panels within a single assay and improving the analytical resolution of immunophenotyping.
“Spectral flow cytometry enables more detailed analysis of complex cell populations,” said Fabienne Lucas, MD, PhD, FCAP, author and vice chair of the CAP Personalized Health Care Committee. “This approach may help laboratories identify cell populations that can be difficult to resolve using conventional methods, while potentially supporting more efficient immunophenotyping workflows.”
By consolidating markers into a single tube, spectral flow cytometry can reduce redundancy across multi‑tube panels and may decrease specimen requirements, reagent use, and handling time once assays are optimized and validated. The technology is showing clinical promise in applications such as leukemia minimal residual disease monitoring, transplant immune monitoring, and evaluation of immune-related disorders, where deeper characterization of immune cell populations may provide additional diagnostic insight.
The article also notes that adopting spectral flow cytometry requires significant investment in validation, training, computational infrastructure, and instrumentation. Spectral flow cytometry is therefore expected to complement existing conventional flow cytometry methods, but the growing demand for increasingly complex, high-parameter testing will require laboratories to evaluate their testing needs and workflow capacity.
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About the College of American Pathologists
As the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. For more information, visit the CAP Newsroom, CAP.org and yourpathologist.org to watch pathologists at work and see the stories of the patients who trust them with their care.