Assay Method for Drugs to Treat Atherosclerosis, Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease
AssigneeUniversity of South Florida
InventorHuntington Potter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An assay to screen for potentially beneficial drugs against atherosclerosis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and their effectiveness in vitro. The assay is comprised of a system where LDL or cholesterol is given to various cells together with the drug being tested and then chromosome segregation and aneuploidy are detected using probes specific for targeted chromosomes. A related assay tests the ability of the drugs alter the fluidity of membranes.
Claims24
A method of identifying an agent capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation comprising the steps of:
- providing a test cell;
- administering to said test cell an experimentally effective amount of a solution comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein;
- exposing the tests cell to an agent suspected of inhibiting chromosome missegregation;
- allowing the test cell to reproduce, thereby producing a population of progeny cells;
- and
- determining the number of aneuploid cells in said population of progeny cells, wherein a low frequency of aneuploid cells in said population is indicative that the agent is capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation.
A method of identifying an agent capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation comprising the steps of:
- providing a test cell that expresses telomerase reverse transcriptase;
- administering to said test cell an experimentally effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein;
- exposing the tests cell to an agent suspected of inhibiting chromosome missegregation;
- allowing the test cell to reproduce, thereby producing a population of progeny cells;
- and
- determining the number of aneuploid cells in said population of progeny cells, wherein a low frequency of aneuploid cells in said population is indicative that the agent is capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation.
A method of identifying an agent capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation comprising the steps of:
- providing a test cell;
- administering to said test cell a solution having a final concentration of between about 2 and 4 μg/ml cholesterol;
- exposing the test cell to an agent suspected of inhibiting chromosome missegregation;
- allowing the test cell to reproduce, thereby producing a population of progeny cells;
- and
- determining the number of anomalous cells in said population of progeny cells, wherein said anomalous cells are selected from the group consisting of aneuploid cells, cells comprising a chromosome having a break, comprising a chromosome having a translocation, wherein a low frequency of anomalous cells in said population is indicative that the agent is capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation.
A method of identifying an agent capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation comprising the steps of:
- providing a test cell;
- administering to said test cell a solution having a final concentration of about 20 μg/ml lipoprotein;
- exposing the test cell to an agent suspected of inhibiting chromosome missegregation;
- allowing the test cell to reproduce, thereby producing a population of progeny cells;
- and
- determining the number of aneuploid cells in said population of progeny cells, wherein a low frequency of aneuploid cells in said population is indicative that the agent is capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation.
A method of identifying an agent capable of modulating membrane fluidity comprising the steps of:
- providing a test cell;
- administering to said test cell an experimentally effective amount of a solution comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein;
- exposing the tests cell to an agent suspected of inhibiting chromosome missegregation;
- allowing the test cell to reproduce, thereby producing a population of progeny cells;
- and
- determining the number of aneuploid cells in said population of progeny cells, wherein a low frequency of aneuploid cells in said population is indicative that the agent is capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation.
A method of identifying an agent capable of modulating membrane fluidity comprising the steps of:
- providing a test cell that expresses telomerase reverse transcriptase;
- administering to said test cell an experimentally effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein;
- exposing the tests cell to an agent suspected of inhibiting chromosome missegregation;
- allowing the test cell to reproduce, thereby producing a population of progeny cells;
- and
- determining the number of aneuploid cells in said population of progeny cells, wherein a low frequency of aneuploid cells in said population is indicative that the agent is capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation.
A method of identifying an agent capable of modulating membrane fluidity comprising the steps of:
- providing a test cell;
- administering to said test cell a solution having a final concentration of between about 2 and 4 μg/ml cholesterol;
- exposing the test cell to an agent suspected of inhibiting chromosome missegregation;
- allowing the test cell to reproduce, thereby producing a population of progeny cells;
- and
- determining the number of anomalous cells in said population of progeny cells, wherein said anomalous cells are selected from the group consisting of aneuploid cells, cells comprising a chromosome having a break, comprising a chromosome having a translocation, wherein a low frequency of anomalous cells in said population is indicative that the agent is capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation.
A method of identifying an agent capable of modulating membrane fluidity comprising the steps of:
- providing a test cell;
- administering to said test cell a solution having a final concentration of about 20 μg/ml lipoprotein;
- exposing the test cell to an agent suspected of inhibiting chromosome missegregation;
- allowing the test cell to reproduce, thereby producing a population of progeny cells;
- and
- determining the number of aneuploid cells in said population of progeny cells, wherein a low frequency of aneuploid cells in said population is indicative that the agent is capable of inhibiting chromosome missegregation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.