Biophysical Analysis of Living Cells: Not Just for Basic Research Anymore

摘要

Adecades-old technology is finally emerging from clinical laboratories and demonstrating its utility in drug discovery and development. Cell therapy researchers bring their laboratory experiences with them as their science is commercialized. And as biopharmaceutical production engineers incorporate quality by design (QbD) and process analytical technology (PAT) into their work, they find that a method for monitoring the state and distribution of living cells can help build valuable upstream process knowledge. In flow cytometry, cells are suspended in fluid to flow along in single file through a laser beam. That light is scattered in patterns that provide information about the cells and their components. Sometimes fluorescent labeling — which absorbs and then reemits light at different frequencies — provides another dimension of analysis. When the scattered or emitted light is detected, it can be interpreted to describe the size and molecular characteristics of individual cells. With computer help, thousands of them can be examined each minute.