Flow cytometry uses a laser, cameras and deflectors to sort and count cells in a liquid stream such as a blood sample. Current technology in hospital pathology labs can process about 50,000 cells per second, but with a new system under development at the University of New Mexico (sharing historical expertise from the Los Alamos and Sandia National laboratories) the speed can jump to one million cells per second.  Researchers use sound waves to create multiple channels and improved laser optics that can illuminate all channels simultaneously to increase the flow rate. MORE