What is the result of the digitization process in flow cytometry?

The result of the digitization process in flow cytometry is the standard flow cytometry format file. During flow cytometry, data collected from the analysis of cells is in an analog format initially, which consists of continuous signals representing various cellular characteristics such as size, granularity, and fluorescence intensity.

Digitization is the process of converting this analog data into a digital format, allowing for more precise and reproducible analysis. This digital data is structured into files that follow standard formats, such as FCS (Flow Cytometry Standard), which can then be easily shared, analyzed, and interpreted using various software tools. The standard file format enables compatibility across different flow cytometry instruments and software, ensuring that the results can be uniformly understood and processed by researchers and clinicians.

In contrast, while visual cellular images and high-resolution scatter plots can be derived from flow cytometry data, they are not the direct result of the digitization process itself. Rather, they represent ways to visualize or present the data after it has been digitized. Therefore, the standard flow cytometry format file is the most accurate reflection of what the digitization process yields in the context of flow cytometric analysis.