Methods for analyzing inter-cellular phenomena
US7450229B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 4, 2005 |
| Grant date | Nov 11, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 26, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/6441
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Aspects of the present invention encompass the collection of multispectral images from a population of objects, and the analysis of the collected images to measure at least one characteristic of the population, using photometric and/or morphometric features identifiable in the collection of images. In an exemplary application, the objects are biological cells. In a particularly preferred, but not limiting implementation, the plurality of images for each individual object are collected simultaneously. In an empirical study, the characteristic being measured involves the synapse between conjugated cells. The conjugated cells may represent a subpopulation of the overall population of objects that were imaged. In a particularly preferred, yet not limiting embodiment, the present invention enables the quantization of the redistribution of cellular molecules due to the conjugation of different biological cells. Significantly, such quantization is not feasible with standard microscopy and flow cytometry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.