COULTER COUNTER

A Coulter Counter is an instrument that can count and size the cells in an electrolyte
to provide valuable information for researchers. For example, the number of cells of a
certain type in a blood sample can provide clues to the type of disease that a patient
is suffering.

High or low cell blood counts are significant in identifying diseases. A Coulter Counter
is able to count the erythrocytes (red blood cells), leukocytes (white blood cells) and
platelets. The instruments are commonly found in hospitals to help medical staff
determine the cell count of a patient’s blood sample – the ‘Complete Blood Count’.
They are also useful for counting other types of cells such as bacteria, fat, muscle and
other types of cells.

With a Coulter Counter, an electrolyte containing the cells travels through a small
aperture which is connected to an electric current. The count is achieved by observing
the changes in voltage detected as either a cell or electrolyte travels through the
aperture. For example, there may be a drop in current as a molecule passes through
the aperture because the molecule is less conductive than the surrounding electrolyte.
The voltage pulses provide insight to the volume of cells passing through in the
suspension.

The first patent for the idea was filed in 1949 with the US Patent Office and issued in
1953 to American electrical engineer Wallace Coulter who was conducting research
into the field with his brother Joseph Coulter. They were the individuals behind the
Coulter Principle which defined how particles passing through a small hole at the same
time as an electric current will have an impact on the reading based on their volume
and the resulting measurable resistance in the electrolyte.
What Is the Coulter Principle?
When cells suspended in a low concentration solution pass through a small opening
separated by two electrodes, they cause a change in the resistance in the electric
circuit. The change in resistance is proportional to the particle volume displaced in the
small opening (Fig. 1). Resistance change plotted against time gives us voltage peaks.
The number of peaks is equal to the number of particles and the height of the peak
indicates the size of the particle.

Figure 1. The Coulter principle.

The majority of cell counting instruments today are based on the Coulter counter
principle. These instruments take only a few seconds to analyze more than 10,000
cells, ranging between diameters of 0.4 µm and 1600 µm.
How Does the Coulter Counter Work?
The Coulter counter instrument has the following basic construction. A beaker filled
with a low concentration electrolyte with the particles of interest has a negative
electrode (anode). A small tube with the positive electrode (cathode) is placed in this
beaker. This tube has a small opening which acts as a “sensing zone”(Fig. 2).

Figure 2. A simple representation of a Coulter counter.

This entire setup works as a closed circuit when an electric field is applied. When
particles pass through the sensing zone, the volume of the electrolyte equal to the
volume of the particle is displaced. This leads to a change in resistance. The
resistance change plotted against time gives us voltage pulses that provide
information on the number and size of the particles.

Applications of The Coulter Method

The Coulter method is widely used not only in medical and research labs, but also in
many other industries because of the following advantages:
• Independent of optical and chemical properties of the particle.
• Does not require colorimetric or fluorescence.
• Can be used for any particle that can displace liquid.
• Lower power consumption.
• Detects individual particles.

Variations of the Coulter Principle

Modifications to the Coulter principle have given rise to different variations in flow
cytometry and microfluidics. For example, a new method was developed to measure
specific protein concentrations using the Coulter method in a microfluidic environment.
Since this is a label-free technique, it can be used to detect different biopolymers like
DNA, protein, and blood cells.
Moxi Go II is a combination of a Coulter counter and a flow cytometer, making it
possible to determine the size of the cell and its primary fluorescence at the same
time. This instrument also distinguishes between dead and live cells.

Many instruments have an option to change the size of the sensing zone based on the
size of the particle of interest. Izon has another variation of the instrument, in which
the small tube is replaced with a plastic membrane having an aperture. This
membrane can be stretched or relaxed to open or close the aperture, giving a higher
dynamic range of analysis.

Conclusion

Coulter counter instruments give rapid, reliable, and accurate cell counting readings.
These instruments have changed the dynamics of cell counting in medical and
research industries, especially in the hematology wing. The only disadvantage of the
Coulter method is not being able to determine the viability of the cell, but this didn’t
matter for other industries to analyze particles like pigments, clays, minerals, and other
materials.
Did you ever use a Coulter instrument or its advanced variations? Share your
experience in the comments below to help your fellow scientists!