System and method for determining cellular respiration and nutrient metabolism of living cells or tissues

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for determining cellular respiration and nutrient metabolism of living cells or tissues, the system comprising: a cell container configured to receive and maintain a biological sample; a gas volume in fluid communication with the cell container, the gas volume containing gaseous components produced by metabolic activity of the biological sample; an optical detection unit configured to detect a target gas species in the gas volume by wavelength-selective absorption spectroscopy, the optical detection unit being further configured to distinguish between different isotopic species of the target gas species, the optical detection unit comprising an illumination source and detector arrangement optically coupled to the optical detection unit and configured for measurement of absorption signals corresponding to different isotopes of the target gas species; and an electronic control and evaluation unit operatively connected to the optical detection unit, the electronic control and evaluation unit being configured to acquire and process absorption data, determine absolute values and/or temporal variations of the target gas species concentration and isotopic composition, and output respiration-related parameters of the biological sample. In this way, a system is provided that enables precise and efficient determination of carbon dioxide produced by living cells or tissues under physiological conditions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.