Novel Stem Cell Assay

描述(由申请人提供)：尽管干细胞的研究和临床应用在过去十年中大幅增加，但新的分析形式和试剂的发展并没有跟上步伐。目前的集落形成细胞(CFCs)检测方法依赖于平板培养后的菌落评估和显微镜计数，细胞培养周期约为14-16天。这种分析形式中使用的显微镜计分方法也限制了可以筛选的细胞数量。利用单细胞凝胶微滴(GMD)包埋技术和流式细胞术，该SBIR旨在建立一种快速、定量的检测克隆形成和鉴定细胞谱系的方法。使用这种分析形式，可以分离和繁殖感兴趣的细胞亚群，以供进一步研究和在治疗应用中使用。建议的测试将提供一种快速识别和分离感兴趣的干细胞亚群的方法，用于研究和临床应用，包括慢性心脏病、终末期肾病、肝功能衰竭和癌症的细胞疗法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Although research and clinical applications for stem cells have increased dramatically in the last decade, development of new assay formats and reagents has not kept pace. The current Colony Forming Cell (CFC) assay, which relies on colony evaluation and enumeration by microscopy after culture on plates, is slow with a cell culture period of about 14-16 days. The microscopic scoring method used in this assay format also limits the number of cells that can be screened. Using single cell gel microdrop (GMD) encapsulation technology and flow cytometry, this SBIR aims to develop a rapid, quantitative assay to simultaneously detect colony formation and identify cell lineage. Using this assay format, sub-populations of cells of interest can be isolated, and propagated for further studies and use in therapeutic applications. The proposed assay will provide a rapid method for identifying and isolating sub-populations of stem cells of interest for use in research and clinical applications, including cellular therapies for diseases such as chronic heart disease, end-stage kidney disease, liver failure and cancer.