Abstract: An object of the present invention is, in the case when a specific substance that has expressed on cells to be detected in a liquid sample is to be specifically stained, to provide a convenient cell staining method by which the damage and loss (flow out) of the cells in the collected sample are prevented, and the time has been shortened in a procedure for staining the cells in the liquid sample. Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a sample collection tube that is suitable for use in the above-mentioned cell staining method. A method for specifically staining a specific substance possessed by cells in a sample, including performing the following steps in one step: (A) a step of performing an immobilization treatment of the cells; and (B) a step of performing a permeabilization treatment of the cells.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method of simultaneously detecting information that relates to first and second target cells for the purpose of measuring the expression state (presence/absence of expression, expression level) based on the same standard for both a molecule (molecule A) expressed on the first target cells and a molecule (molecule B) expressed on the second target cells, which molecules interact with each other. To accomplish this object, the method of the present invention includes: adding erythrocyte-removed blood to a cell-spreading substrate; staining the respective markers and nuclear markers of the first and second target cells to acquire fluorescence images thereof; identifying the first and second target cells from the fluorescence images; and detecting molecule A-expressing first target cells and molecule B-expressing second target cells, whereby the expression-level information can be analyzed simultaneously for the molecule A and the molecule B.

Abstract: The detection of rare cells can be achieved with high efficiency, without deteriorating the sensitivity of the detection. A detection method which enables the above-mentioned detection comprises: a first step of carrying out a pretreatment for removing erythrocytes from blood to prepare a cell suspension containing leukocytes and rare cells; a second step of providing all of the cells contained in the cell suspension produced in the first step onto an observation area having multiple holes formed thereon; a third step of taking an optical image of the cells that have been provided on the observation area; and a forth step of detecting the rare cells from the image obtained by the image taking in the third step.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is, in the case when a specific substance that has expressed on cells to be detected in a liquid sample is to be specifically stained, to provide a convenient cell staining method by which the damage and loss (flow out) of the cells in the collected sample are prevented, and the time has been shortened in a procedure for staining the cells in the liquid sample. Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a sample collection tube that is suitable for use in the above-mentioned cell staining method. A method for specifically staining a specific substance possessed by cells in a sample, including performing the following steps in one step: (A) a step of performing an immobilization treatment of the cells; and (B) a step of performing a permeabilization treatment of the cells.

Abstract: The present invention may provide a method of removing red blood cells and a centrifuge tube for blood collection, which method and centrifuge tube can, when cells contained in blood are observed after spreading the cells, improve detection accuracy of rare cells contained in the blood, hardly causing loss of the rare cells. The method of removing red blood cells may include the steps of: (A) fixing cells contained in a blood-derived sample; and (B) subjecting the blood-derived sample obtained in the Step (A) to density gradient centrifugation to separate the sample into at least two layers, one of which contains a large amount of red blood cells and the other of which contains a large amount of cells other than red blood cells.

Abstract: A method for quantifying cells of interest potentially contained in a blood-derived sample in cases of their quantification after separation from the blood-derived sample may enable accurate quantification of the cells without causing underestimation of the cell number. The quantification method is a method for quantifying specific cells of interest, the method may include: (A) separating a blood-derived sample containing a known number (P0) of specific resin particles P into at least two layers including a layer of erythrocytes and a layer of cells other than erythrocytes; (B) extracting the layer of cells other than erythrocytes and counting the number of cells of interest and the number (P1) of the resin particles therein; and (C) correcting the number of cells of interest by multiplying the number of cells of interest by P0/P1.

Abstract: The detection of rare cells can be achieved with high efficiency, without deteriorating the sensitivity of the detection. A detection method which enables the above-mentioned detection comprises: a first step of carrying out a pretreatment for removing erythrocytes from blood to prepare a cell suspension containing leukocytes and rare cells; a second step of providing all of the cells contained in the cell suspension produced in the first step onto an observation area having multiple holes formed thereon; a third step of taking an optical image of the cells that have been provided on the observation area; and a forth step of detecting the rare cells from the image obtained by the image taking in the third step.