Methods and systems for assessing biological materials using optical and spectroscopic detection techniques
AssigneeCytoscan Sciences LLC
InventorDaryl W. Hochman
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Abstract
Optical detection techniques for the assessment of the physiological state, health and/or viability of biological materials are provided. Biological materials which may be examined using such techniques include cells, tissues, organs and subcellular components. The inventive techniques may be employed in high throughput screening of potential diagnostic and/or therapeutic agents.
Claims53
A method for screening a candidate compound for activity as a chloride cotransporter agonist or antagonist, comprising:
- introducing an agent to a cell sample that is capable of changing at least one of the ionic concentration and the ionic balance in a cell sample without killing cells;
- observing and recording at least one property of the cell sample that is representative of at least one of the ionic concentration and the ionic balance in the cell sample following introduction of the agent;
- introducing a candidate compound to the cell sample;
- observing and recording at least one property of the cell sample that is representative of at least one of the ionic concentration and the ionic balance in the cell sample following introduction of the candidate compound;
- and
- comparing the at least one property of the cell sample recorded following introduction of the agent with the at least one property of the cell sample recorded following introduction of the candidate compound, and thereby determining changes in at least one of the ionic concentration and the ionic balance in the cell sample.
A method for assessing the response of a sample biological population to a challenge comprising:
- maintaining at least one sample population of biological material in a viable condition;
- administering a challenge to the sample population;
- acquiring a test data set corresponding to one or more geometrical or optical properties of the sample population following the challenge;
- comparing the test data set to a comparison data set, wherein the comparison data set corresponds to the one or more geometrical or optical properties of a predetermined sample population having a predetermined condition;
- and
- assessing the response of the sample population to the challenge based on the comparison.
A method for screening a candidate compound for activity as a diagnostic or therapeutic agent, comprising:
- maintaining at least one sample population of biological material;
- introducing a candidate compound to the sample population;
- acquiring and recording at least one test data set corresponding to one or more geometrical or optical properties of the sample population following introduction of the candidate compound;
- comparing the test data set to a comparison data set, wherein the comparison data set corresponds to one or more geometrical or optical properties of a predetermined sample population having a predetermined physiological state;
- and
- assessing the activity of the candidate compound as a diagnostic or therapeutic agent based on the comparison between the test data set and the comparison data set.
A method for assessing the viability of a biological sample, comprising:
- acquiring test data corresponding to one or more geometrical or optical properties of the sample population;
- comparing the test data to comparison data corresponding to the one or more geometrical or optical properties of a population having predetermined viability properties;
- and
- assessing the viability of the sample population based on the comparison.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.