Cellomics system

Abstract

In labeling a cell, and separating and collecting the cell according to a degree of the labeling using a cell separator, effects on the cell is minimized and the use of the collected cell is facilitated, thereby, when labeling a cell, the cell is labeled in the state where interaction of each cell is retained. In the labeling, a specific labeling material present on a surface of a target cell is taken in the cell via a transporter, and the cell is dispersed one by one to separate the same with a cell separator. Immediately after the separation, the cell is put in a solution not containing the specific labeling substance to remove the specific labeling substance taken in the cell. This series of steps is continuously conducted with a cell separation chip.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 11 / 195,662 filed Aug. 3, 2005, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to promotion of researches in the field of cellomics for comprehensively understanding vital functions as those of a cell assembly, and more particularly to measurement of expression of genes in discrete cells in the state where functions of each cell structure are preserved, namely in the state where interactions between cells are preserved.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]With the active researches in the fields of genomics or proteomics from the last decade of 20th century up to this day, data has been accumulated concerning types and quantities of genes in various cell groups each regarded as an assembly of cells. Especially, accumulation of data concerning precise comparisons among genome sequences different from speci...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The patent text describes a cellomics system that aims to understand and utilize cell assemblies in a more comprehensive way. The system includes techniques for separating, culturing, and analyzing cells in a way that allows for the separation of individual cells without damaging them. The system also allows for the construction and measurement of cell networks at a \"single cell level\" on a microchip. The techniques include methods for separating cells, freezing and storing them, handling cells, and acquiring information from incubated cells. The system is designed to provide a more complete understanding of cell functions and to facilitate the development of new treatments and therapies for diseases."

Problems solved by technology

The main reason for this is that the relation between the sensitivity and reproducibility has not sufficiently be clarified in the researches using DNA micro-arrays.

If the sensitivity is just insufficient, it is simply required to further amplify the mRNAs in the form of cRNAs or cDNAs, but in the quantitative analysis, sometimes amplifying operations cause errors.

Even if it is tried to analyze gene expression (including protein translation) in discrete cells in the tissue, it is impossible to obtain a sufficient quantity of amplification products from a discrete cell with the conventional amplifying operation using, for instance, a DNA micro-array, and even when amplification is forcefully performed to a level allowing for analysis with a DNA micro-array, it is impossible to obtain data reflecting the actual abundance ratio of mRNAs.

However, it has been impossible to overcome the differences between humans and other animals, now the tendency for abolishing the animal experiments has been becoming stronger.

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