摘要:
A method for analyzing blood enables one to isolate, detect, enumerate and confirm under magnification the presence or absence of target cancer cells and/or hematologic progenitor cells which are known to circulate in blood. The analysis is performed in a sample of centrifuged anticoagulated whole blood. The analysis involves both morphometric and epitopic examination of the blood sample while the blood sample is disposed in a centrifuged blood sampling tube. The epitopic analysis of the presence or absence of cancer cells relies on the detection of epitopes which are known to present only on cancer cells; and the epitopic analysis of the presence or absence of hematologic progenitor cells relies on the detection of epitopes which are known to present only on hematologic progenitor cells. The targeted epitopes on the target cell types are epitopes which are also known to be absent on normal circulating blood cells; and the target cancer cell epitopes are epitopes which are known to be absent on target hematologic progenitor cells. Fluorophors with distinct emissions are coupled with antibodies which are directed against the targeted epitopes. The morphometric analysis is performed by staining the cells in the blood sample with an intracellular stain such as acridine orange which highlights the intracellular cell structure. Both the morphometric and epitopic analyses are preferably performed at or near the platelet layer of the expanded buffy coat in the centrifuged blood sample. The morphometric analysis and/or the epitopic analysis may be performed under magnification both visually and/or photometrically.
摘要:
A method for analyzing blood enables one to isolate, detect, enumerate and confirm under magnification the presence of target cells which have expressed surface epitopes that indicate intracellular infection by various viruses or other infectious agents, and also cells which have expressed surface epitopes that indicate the presence of non-infectious medical conditions. The analysis involves the examination of cells in the blood sample for the presence or absence of particular surface epitopes while the blood sample is disposed in a centrifuged blood sampling container. The epitopic analysis for the presence or absence of infected cells, or cells which indicate the presence of non-infectious medical conditions relies on the detection of known target expressed epitopes. The target epitopes on the target cell types are epitopes which are also known to be absent on normal circulating cells in the blood. Fluorophores or other labels with distinct wavelength emissions are coupled with specific binding agents such as lectins, antibodies, aptamers, or the like, which are directed against the target expressed epitopes. The epitopic analyses may be performed in or near the expanded buffy coat layer in the centrifuged blood sample. The epitopic analysis may be performed under magnification either visually and/or photometrically. The blood sampling container is sized to hold between about 1 and about 20 ml, preferably about 10 ml of blood, and contains an insert that occupies about 90–98% of the volume of the container bore in the area of the container where the target cells will, if present, be detected. The insert forces the target cells in question to reside in an annular space in the container which is adjacent to the circumference of the container bore. The entire analysis can be performed in a relatively short period of time which is typically a matter of minutes to single digit hours.
摘要:
A method for analyzing blood enables one to isolate, detect, enumerate and confirm under magnification the presence of target cells which have expressed surface epitopes that indicate intracellular infection by various viruses or other infectious agents, and also cells which have expressed surface epitopes that indicate the presence of non-infectious medical conditions. The analysis involves the examination of cells in the blood sample for the presence or absence of particular surface epitopes while the blood sample is disposed in a centrifuged blood sampling container. The epitopic analysis for the presence or absence of infected cells, or cells which indicate the presence of non-infectious medical conditions relies on the detection of known target expressed epitopes. The target epitopes on the target cell types are epitopes which are also known to be absent on normal circulating cells in the blood. Fluorophores or other labels with distinct wavelength emissions are coupled with specific binding agents such as lectins, antibodies, aptamers, or the like, which are directed against the target expressed epitopes. The epitopic analyses may be performed in or near the expanded buffy coat layer in the centrifuged blood sample. The epitopic analysis may be performed under magnification either visually and/or photometrically. The blood sampling container is sized to hold between about 1 and about 20 ml, preferably about 10 ml of blood, and contains an insert that occupies about 90-98% of the volume of the container bore in the area of the container where the target cells will, if present, be detected. The insert forces the target cells in question to reside in an annular space in the container which is adjacent to the circumference of the container bore. The entire analysis can be performed in a relatively short period of time which is typically a matter of minutes to single digit hours.
摘要:
This method for analyzing blood enables one to isolate, detect, enumerate and confirm under magnification the presence or absence of fragments of target analyte cancer cells which are circulating in blood. The analysis is performed in a sample of centrifuged anticoagulated whole blood. The analysis of the presence or absence of fragments of cancer cells relies on the detection of external or internal binding sites which are known to be present only in or on tumorous cancer cells. Fluorophors with distinct wavelength emissions are coupled with antibodies, or other binding moieties such as complementary nucleotide sequences, which antibodies are directed against the epithelial cell fragment membrane binding sites, such as internal or external surface epitopes on the cell fragments, or internal binding sites on cell organelles; and which nucleotide sequences are complementary to portions of cell fragment RNA and/or DNA. The labled binding agents are humoric or soluble in the blood sample. The labeled fluorometric binding site-specific materials may be coupled to small plastic beads which have a density or specific gravity that is preferably greater than the specific gravity or density of the red blood cells. The target cell fragments are less dense than the red cells, and typically have the same density or specific gravity as the platelets or white blood cells in the blood sample. Any of the labeled beads which couple with target cell analyte fragments will have a density or specific gravity that is less than the red cells in the blood sample. Thus cell fragment/labeled bead couples will gravitate into an area in the centrifuged blood sample which area is somewhere above the centrifuged red cell layer. The detection of the labeled target analyte/particle couples can be performed in situ in the centrifuged blood sample either visually or photometrically.
摘要:
A method for analyzing blood enables one to isolate, detect, enumerate and confirm under magnification the presence or absence of target cancer cells and/or hematologic progenitor cells, or other rare events which are known to circulate in blood. The analysis is performed in a sample of centrifuged anticoagulated whole blood. The analysis involves both morphometric and epitopic examination of the blood sample while the blood sample is disposed in a centrifuged blood sampling container. The epitopic analysis of the presence or absence of cancer cells relies on the detection of epitopes which are known to be present on cancer cells and not on normal circulating blood cells; and the epitopic analysis of the presence or absence of hematologic progenitor cells relies on the detection of epitopes which are known to be present on hematologic progenitor cells and not on normal circulating blood cells. The targeted epitopes on the target cell types are epitopes which are also known to be absent on normal circulating blood cells; and the target cancer cell epitopes are epitopes which are known to be absent on target hematologic progenitor cells. Fluorophors with distinct emissions are coupled with antibodies which are directed against the targeted epitopes. The morphometric analysis is performed by staining the cells in the blood sample with an intracellular stain, such as acridine orange, which highlights the intracellular cell structure. Both the morphometric and epitopic analyses are preferably performed in the expanded buffy coat layer in the centrifuged blood sample. The morphometric analysis and/or the epitopic analysis may be performed under magnification both visually and/or photometrically.
摘要:
The method of the invention pertains to determining the signal transduction activity in a tissue section by immunohistochemistry techniques. The expression level of the receptor of interest is determined as well as the expression levels of one or more effector molecules of the receptor signal transduction pathway. Furthermore a combined ratio of expression levels of effector molecules in subcellular compartments with the receptor expression was found to have prognostic significance.
摘要:
This invention provides a method of making a prognosis for a patient afflicted with a type of cancer such as colon cancer, based upon quantification of biomarkers such as thymidylate synthase in subcellular compartments.
摘要:
A method for making a prognosis for a patient afflicted with a type of cancer which comprises (a) determining in a sample of a tumor from the patient a level of expression for at least three biomarkers from the following group: thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF1), signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3), beta-catenin and cyclin D1; (b) calculating a score based on the levels of expression determined in step (a); (c) correlating the score obtained in step (b) with a series of predetermined reference scores associated with a series of prognoses; so as to thereby make a prognosis for the patient.
摘要:
Systems and methods for rapidly analyzing cell containing samples, for example to identify morphology or to localize and quantitate biomarkers are disclosed.
摘要:
Systems and methods for rapidly analyzing cell containing samples, for example to identify morphology or to localize and quantitate biomarkers are disclosed.