Patent ID: 8137975

Claim:
A method for identifying a platelet population in a biological sample comprising: (a) incubating said biological sample for less than 5 minutes with a nucleic acid dye and at least one labeled anti-platelet ligand, wherein said at least one labeled anti-platelet ligand binds to an epitope, antigen or receptor expressed on both platelets from said platelet population and cells from at least one additional different, non-platelet cell population in said biological sample, and wherein the incubation step is performed under conditions that allow said nucleic acid dye to permeate into the cell and allow said at least one labeled anti-platelet ligand to bind to said epitope, antigen or receptor in less than 5 minutes; (b) passing said biological sample through a sensing region of a flow cytometer, wherein said biological sample is irradiated with a laser light source, and measuring fluorescence from said at least one labeled anti-platelet ligand and said nucleic acid dye and at least one additional parameter selected independently from the group consisting of light scatter, direct current, axial light loss, opacity, and radio frequency; and (c) detecting or quantifying data generated from said measurements from said at least one labeled anti-platelet ligand, said nucleic acid dye, and said at least one additional parameter, thereby differentiating or identifying said platelet population from said at least one additional different, non-platelet cell in said biological sample.