Methods and systems for assessing biological material using optical detection techniques

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.

Description

REFERENCE TO PRIORITY APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 326,244, filed Jun. 4, 1999, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,238 on Dec. 21, 2004, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 088,494, filed Jun. 8, 1998, entitled METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSING BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS USING OPTICAL DETECTION TECHNIQUES, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The methods and systems of the present invention employ optical, or spectroscopic, detection techniques for assessing the health, physiological condition, and viability of biological materials such as tissues, cells, and subcellular components, and may be used in both in vitro and in vivo systems. One important application of the methods and apparatus of the present invention is high throughput screening of candidate agents and conditions to evaluate their suitability as diagnostic or therapeutic agents...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] An important application of the methods and systems of the present invention involves screening cell populations to assess the effect(s) of exposure to various types of test agents or test conditions, including drugs, hormones and other biological agents, toxins, infectious agents, physiological stimuli, radiation, chemotherapy, and the like. The effect of various test agents and conditions may be evaluated on both normal and pathological sample populations. Safety and cytotoxicity testing is conducted by exposing a sample population to a test agent or test condition and assessing the physiological state of the sample population using optical techniques at one or more time points following administration of the test agent or test condition. Such testing may be conducted on various sample populations to determine how a test agent or condition affects a desired target sample population, as well as to predict whether a test agent or condition produces physiological side effects on sample populations that are not the target of the test agent or condition.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment, a disease state or compromised condition is simulated in biological materials prior to administration of a test agent or test condition to assess the suitability of the test agent or condition for treating the disease state or compromised condition. Exposure of sample populations to a physiological challenge, such as a change in extracellular osmolarity or ion concentration, altered oxygen or nutrient or metabolite conditions, drugs or diagnostic or therapeutic agents, a disturbance in ion homeostasis, electrical stimulation, inflammatio

Problems solved by technology

Screening methods currently used are generally difficult to scale up to provide the high throughput screening necessary to test the numerous candidate compounds generated by traditional and computational means.

Moreover, studies involving cell culture systems and animal model responses frequently don't accurately predict the responses and side effects observed during human clinical trials.

Conventional methods for assessing the effects of various agents or physiological activities on biological materials, in both in vitro and in vivo systems, generally are not highly sensitive or informative.

Cytotoxicity assays ge

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