Cytomics and drug development

Cellular analysis by open-source software for affordable cytometry

Image cytometry is an important technique in affordable healthcare and cellular research. Some efforts toward establishing a personal, low-cost cytometer have been described in the literature. However, a self-assembled fluorescence microscope requires software for cytometric analysis. There are some open-source image-based software analysis applications available. However, for a quantitative analysis of images, software that can generate data comparable to those of previously evaluated cytometric analyses programs is required. Hence, the aim of this study is to compare results of a commercially available image cytometry program to data obtained using the open-source software CellProfiler (CP). Leukocytes and fluorescent bead images obtained using a Laser Scanning Cytometer were analyzed by CP and the results compared with those of conventional cytometric analyses' programs. Algorithms were developed enabling the analysis of leukocytes and beads by CP. CP provided similar results to those obtained by the cytometer software. Hallmark parameters, including cell count and fluorescence intensity, revealed a high correlation in the analysis of both programs. Therefore, CP is appropriate for cellular analysis on a self-assembled microscope, thereby enabling affordable cytometry.

Basics of standardization and calibration in cytometry--a review

Standardization, calibration, and controls (negative and positive controls) are essential for quality assurance. Cytometers are capable of reliable and repeatable cellular analyses. However, a prerequisite is instrument calibration and standardized preanalytics. Calibration is often done by beads. Beads are available for different quality control applications, e.g. calibration of size and measuring scale, compensation, absolute cell counting, and laser alignment. Results can be standardized by converting MFI values into MESF or ABC values. Standardized data allow comparison of experiments over a long period of time and between different instruments and laboratories. Alterations in the sensitivity of the cytometer can be detected by routinely performing quality control. The process of quality assurance quantifies and helps manage the variance from the desired value. Results can thus be compared objectively with those of other laboratories. Standardization is the basis of cytometry and a prerequisite for obtaining reliable data.

Cytomics and nanobioengineering

The finding that an individual's genome differs as much as by many million variants from that of the human reference assembly diminished the great enthusiasm that every disease could be predicted based on nucleotide polymorphisms. Even individual cells of an organ may be specifically equipped to perform specific tasks and that the information of individual cells in a cell system is key information to understand function or dysfunction. Therefore, cytomics received great attention during the last years as it allows to quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing great number of individual cells, cell constituents, and of their intracellular and functional interactions in a cellular system and also giving the concept of analysis of these data.Exhaustive data extraction from multiparametric assays and multiple tests are the prerequisite for prediction of drug toxicity. Cytomics, as novel approach for unsupervised data analysis give a chance to find the most predictive parameters, which describe best the toxicity of a chemical. Cytomics is intrinsically connected to drug development and drug discovery.Focused on small structures, nanobioengineering is the ideal partner of cytomics, the systems biological discipline for cell population analysis. Realizing the idea "from the molecule to the patient" develops and offers chemical compounds, proteins, and other biomolecules, cells as well as tissues as instruments and products for a wide variety of biotechnological and biomedical applications.The integrative nanobioengineering combining different disciplines of nanotechnology will promote the development of innovative therapies and diagnostic methods. It can improve the precision of the measurements with focus on single cell analysis. By nanobioengineering and whole body imaging techniques, cytomics covers the field from molecules through bacterial cells, eukaryotic tissues, and organs to small animal live analysis. Toxicological testing and medical drug development are currently strongly broadening. It harbors the promise to substantially impact on various fields of biomedicine, drug discovery, and predictive medicine.As the number of scientific data is rising exponentially, new data analysis tools and strategies like cytomics and nanobioengineering take a lead and get closer to application. Bionanoengineering may strongly support the quantitative data supply, thus strengthening the rational for cytomics approach.