Articles | Volume 19, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2817-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2817-2026
Research article
 | 
28 Apr 2026
Research article |  | 28 Apr 2026

Flow cytometry and machine learning enable identification of allergenic urban tree pollen

Sarah Tardif, Maria Raquel Kanieski, Gauthier Lapa, Grégoire Bonnamour, Rita Sousa-Silva, Isabelle Laforest-Lapointe, and Alain Paquette

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Cited articles

Ahlholm, Helander, and Savolainen: Genetic and environmental factors affecting the allergenicity of birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii [Orl.] Hämet-Ahti) pollen, Clin. Exp. Allergy, 28, 1384–1388, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2222.1998.00404.x, 1998. 
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Short summary
We developed a high-throughput method combining flow cytometry and machine learning to identify urban pollen. Using a reference database of 97 species across 34 genera, with values of particle size, granularity, and multi-channel fluorescence for each pollen grains, our method enables rapid species- and genus-level pollen identification. It provides an efficient alternative to microscopy, with potential for large-scale urban pollen monitoring and allergy management.
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