Final answer:
Angel uses flow cytometry and fluorescence-activated cell sorting to separate blood components, employing fluorescently labeled antibodies and a laser system to count and sort cells based on specific cellular fluorescence.
Step-by-step explanation:
Angel incorporates flow cytometry technology and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to accurately separate blood components using cell-specific wavelengths of light to increase cellular yields. Flow cytometry utilizes fluorescently labeled antibodies to quantify and analyze cells of a specific type in a complex mixture. This method involves labeling cell membranes with fluorogen-antibody conjugate markers that are excited by a laser, allowing the machine to count cells and record the relative fluorescence. A fluorescence detector, in conjunction with an in-line detector, assesses fluorescence and cell clump formation as cells pass by the detectors at a precise angle to the source light.
In applications like HIV monitoring, flow cytometry is crucial for determining the levels of CD4 T cells in the blood. If these levels fall below certain thresholds, it signals an increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections and the weakening of the adaptive immune response. Furthermore, fluorescence-activated cell sorters are applied to physically separate cells into purified subpopulations based on fluorescence intensity, achieving highly purified cell samples for research purposes.