|
|
Cell Biochemistry Martinsried |
Microscopy is a wellknown example. Microscopes represent tools e.g. for the magnification of microfilms or during product control while the specific staining of particular micromorphological structures or molecules in tissue sections or smears as well as the interpretation of the resulting images requires the knowledge of the entire scientific histo- & cytopathology discipline.
The development of laser confocal or laser scanning microscopes together with the use of molecule specific fluorescence stains has opened new disciplinary fields to biochemical morphology and cellular research in general.
Cytomics, in contrast, permit to simultaneously access a multiplicity of biochemical features in the full heterogeneity of living, diseased or healthy cell systems close to their in-vivo condition with the potential for predictive medicine providing information on the future disease development in the individual patient. The individulized view constitutes an important extension of current statistical disease prognosis evaluation in medicine which is, in general, insufficient for individualized therapy schemes. As a consequence large and costly double blind trials are usually necessary for therapy improvement.
Simultaneous multiparameter measurement of biochemical parameters in single cells of heterogeneous cellular systems potentiate the degree of molecular information collection. Representative statistical sampling in the full heterogeneity of cellular systems (cytomes) at the very level of molecular action of cellular disease processes will permit new biochemical system approaches for the characterization of complex organ and tissue architectures.
The predictive aspects for medicine, the instrumental, the cell staining and the multidimensional result interpretation knowledge constitute jointly the features which advances cytomics (system cytometry) to a key discipline in biomedicine. Altogether predictive medicine by cytomics represents evidence based medicine (EBM) at the cellular level.
The cytometric one cell is one biochemical cuvette concept,
overcomes these limitations by combining the advantage of
microscopic single cell observation with the advantage of
multiparametric quantitative biochemical analysis of intact
and fully functional cells. The multiparametric cytomics
approach will therefore significantly alter e.g. the strategy of
medicine oriented cell research in many instances (medical cytomics,
clinical cytomics).
One of these changes concerns the explicit investigation of in-vivo
cellular heterogeneity. As much biochemical information as
possible is collected in a maximum of
potentially related but nevertheless different cell populations of
complex cellular systems (blood, bone marrow, transplant biopsies etc)
in patients. The enormous amount of information is then efficiently
extracted
by Standardized Multiparameter Data Pattern Classification
(SMDC).
This allows the biochemical analysis of unperturbed cell systems
close to the in-vivo state. System cytometry is therefore
centrally characterized by the explicit molecular analysis of
the utmost cellular complexity instead of the traditional cellular
monosystems.
The successful industrial implementation and dissemination of
instrumentation in combination with the various developments of
single cell structural and
functional
biochemical assays has substantially enlarged but also
altered the body of cytometric knowledge over the years. New
microscopic, chip and bead array based technologies in combination
with advanced electronic network (telepathology, telecytometry)
communication have added important new facettes to this
multidisciplinary effort.
The consequences of this is that the cytomics discipline so far
is not organized like many other biomedical disciplines.
The rapidly evolving multisciplinary knowledge pool is
represented and supported by many thousands of scientists worldwide
working in quite different scientific areas.
This entire knowledge pool constitutes a virtual entity with
high intellectual and innovative strength. The practical
implementation of this scientific discipline will therefore
vary according to local needs e.g. departments in large
research institutions or in biomedical university focus centers, self
standing scientific or routine laboratories in hospitals or industry
as well as research groups within university or industry departments.
3. System Cytometry (Cytomics), a
New Research Strategy
Homogeneous, synchronized model cell systems are used
in traditional biochemistry to overcome the interpretation problem
of results from cellular assays which average over
many thousands or millions of cells in different functional states.
Model systems are useful for the investigation of fundamental cellular
functions like signalling cascades, cell cycle regulation, cell death,
antibody production, oxido/reductive balance, enzyme pathways, energy
supply a.o. Model cell systems suffer, however, from inherent limitations.
Interrelations and regulations amongst various cell populations
like in the hemo- or immunopoiesis model systems may not be
representative for the human situation or artifacts may be
introduced e.g. by cell synchronization procedures.
4. Cytomics, a Partially Virtual Discipline
The cytometric science field has been a multidisciplinary science
from its very beginning on. The common interests of biologists,
hematologists, pathologists and engineers generated initially the
synchronized effort of a small fraction of scientists in each of
the disciplines to set out for the fast measurements of cellular parameters
in cytometers. The basis for a pulsing new body
of intellectual and experimental knowledge was generated by this effort.
Off-line Internet, a timesaver !
Download
the self unpacking file containing the CytoRelay pages,
follow the instructions (PC) to
access text and graphics on your harddisk by the Internet browser
free of network delays.
MAC users download and unpack the file on a PC and transfer
the unpacked files to the MAC computer for inspection by the
Internet browser.
1965-2006:
Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Am Klopferspitz 18a,
D-82152 Martinsried, Germany
© 2023 G.Valet
Last Update: Jun 11,2002
First display: Feb 14,1997