The present invention relates generally to the field of
high content screening of particles, e.g., cells in a flow cytometric
system. In particular, the present invention relates to devices, methods and systems to obtain line-scan images of particles, e.g., cells, of a plurality of different samples simultaneously, where the line-scan images can be used to identify cells based on at least one of a variety of phenotypic characteristics such as shape,
asymmetry, and
intracellular information for
cell sorting and selection. In some embodiments, the line-scan images are obtained as the particles, e.g., cells, in a plurality of different samples flow through a plurality of microchannels, reducing the need and time for focusing of the
image detection system. In some embodiments, the
laser spot size has a small spatial resolution for rapid capturing of images of cells. In some embodiments, the
laser spot size has a larger spatial resolution for imaging of larger particles or cells, e.g., rare cells in a sample. In some embodiments, the devices, methods and systems are automated for a high-
throughput,
high content screening of particles such as cells in a plurality of samples.