Procedure and means for collecting liquid containing radioactive tracer elements

Abstract

Laboratory investigations in vitro of destruction and damage of living cells frequently involve labeling of the tissue cells in question with a radioactive isotope and subsequent dispersion of the cells in a suitable liquid. The dispersion is allowed to settle in a test tube, whereby a column of supernatant liquid is formed above precipitated cell particles. The radioactivity of said supernatant liquid is considered to be a measure of cell destruction and in order to measure the same while completely separated from the precipitated cell tissue, either the total amount or an accurately known fraction of the liquid must be collected, yet at the same time avoiding any collection of the precipitated particles. In order to secure this result, it is suggested according to the present invention that an actively absorbing surface of a liquid absorbent body be immersed into said amount of liquid in the container with a filter which is permeable to said liquid, but not to said particles, completely covering said surface. Said amount of liquid is allowed to be completely absorbed by the liquid absorbent body through said filter, which subsequently is separated from said actively absorbing surface before the absorbent body is removed from the container. By utilizing an absorbent body with sufficient absorbing capacity to assure a complete inclusion of the supernatant liquid in said body, with the exclusion of all cell particles by means of said filter, the total leakage of radioactivity from the cells to the liquid may be measured with high reliability by means of a subsequent scintillation counting.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.