Patent ID: 7205100

Claim:
A method for reducing background fluorescence from extracellular particulates in a solution, comprising the steps of: (i) labeling one or more cells in the solution with a fluorescent agent which is permeant to said one or more cells and capable of producing a fluorescence emission, the fluorescent agent also associating with one or more extracellular particulates present in the solution; (ii) contacting said solution and extracellular particulates with a chemical agent which is impermeant to said one or more cells; and (iii) introducing said solution into a flow cytometer and detecting said one or more cells, wherein the chemical agent chemically modifies the fluorescent agent associated with the extracellular particulates in said solution such that the fluorescence emission produced from said solution and extracellular particulates, after subtracting the fluorescence emission produced from said one or more labeled cells, is reduced by at least 10%.