Cells that are healthy store energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). High levels of ATP are indicative of high levels of metabolic activity in cells. If a cell is severely damaged, it becomes less active, storing less energy and consequently producing less ATP. With their new sensor nanosystems, the research group led by Dr. Jennifer Schmidt from the Fraunhofer EMFT uses fluorescent dye to detect the cells’ ATP. They can thus determine the cells’ condition. If a given concentration of the substance is poisonous to the cell, it will die and no longer produce ATP.

The model has so far been tested on normal rat kidney cells, but can also be applied to human cells or cancer cells to test the effectiveness of newly developed chemotherapy agents. At present the system is still in the test phase and is to be expanded to include other cell culture systems.

For more information:

Dr. Jennifer Schmidt
Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies EMFT
Josef-Engert-Str. 13
93053 Regensburg
Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 941 - 943 - 5726

Source:
http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2012/january/fewer_animal_experimentsthankstonanosensors-researchnewsjanuary2.html