{
  "abstract": "Flow cytometry is widely used to identify and sort rare cells, but conventional approaches rely on fluorescent labels. Label-free discrimination of rare targets in complex, heterogeneous samples remains challenging. Here, we introduce a label-free strategy that combines multi-angle pulse shape flow cytometry (MAPS-FC), which exploits the full temporal structure of the signal pulses during cell or particles transit through the laser spot, with a deep learning–based analysis. As a biologically relevant test case, we focus on Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites, the infectious stage of the malaria parasite, which need to be isolated from mosquito salivary glands and are embedded in a heterogeneous mosquito-derived background. Using a GFP-expressing reporter line for validation, we trained a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network to classify sporozoites solely from their scattering pulse shapes captured through MAPS-FC. Using training data from multiple days and setting a threshold on the classification confidence, the network can distinguish sporozoites from mosquito debris without fluorescent labels. This work establishes MAPS-FC with deep learning as a platform for label-free identification of rare parasites in complex biological samples.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Flow Cytometry Core Facility, German Rheumatology Research Center (DRFZ), Berlin, Germany",
    "Vector Biology Research Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (MPIIB), Berlin, Germany"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Vinod Devaraj"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sophia Kahler"
    },
    {
      "name": "Daniel Kage"
    },
    {
      "name": "Elena A. Levashina"
    },
    {
      "name": "Toralf Kaiser"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/47j0q7k2tp4aj.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0354060",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "47j0q7k2tp4aj",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0354060",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Anatomy/Digestive system/Salivary glands"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Anatomy/Exocrine glands/Salivary glands"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Parasitology/Parasite groups/Apicomplexa/Plasmodium"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Parasitology/Parasite groups/Apicomplexa/Sporozoites"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Species interactions/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Entomology/Insects/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Anatomy/Digestive system/Salivary glands"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Anatomy/Exocrine glands/Salivary glands"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Parasitic diseases"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Electromagnetic radiation/Light/Light pulses"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Electromagnetic radiation/Light/Light scattering"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Scattering/Light scattering"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Spectrum analysis techniques/Spectrophotometry/Cytophotometry/Flow cytometry"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-05",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/47j0q7k2tp4aj.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:20:42Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0354060",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0354060"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:parasitology",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:zoology",
      "subfield": "zoology-behaviour"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:anatomy",
      "subfield": "physiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Identification of Plasmodium sporozoites using angle-resolved scattered light pulse shapes",
  "title_text": "Identification of Plasmodium sporozoites using angle-resolved scattered light pulse shapes",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:20:24Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/47j0q7k2tp4aj",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}