What is cell sorting in flow cytometry?

Cell sorting is a method to separate cell populations based on the presence or absence of specific physical characteristics, such as cell size, morphology (shape) and surface protein expression.

There are three major methods used for cell sorting: single cell sorting, fluorescent activated cell sorting, and magnetic activated cell sorting. The most commonly used methods are, FACS (fluorescent activated cell sorting) and MACS (magnetic activated cell sorting).