Case Studies
We continue to collaborate with third-party researchers
and institutions in the development of new applications for the CellScan,
including determining the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs for specific
tumors, as well as drug-induced allergies. Recent, on-going and planned
studies for several CellScan applications include the following:
• Chemosensitivity. We have completed a study in collaboration
with the Oncological Institute in Cluj, Romania, to determine whether
the CellScan could be used as a tool in determining the efficacy of
chemotherapy for specific tumors. In a multi-parametric study conducted
at Cluj, we followed advanced stage cancer patients, focusing on clinical
correlations of CellScan monitoring of patients tumor response to chemotherapeutic
drug in vitro to the efficacy of treatment with actual clinical outcome.
Based on promising results to date, we expect to undertake a wider range
of studies in order to explore further the potential of the CellScan
system as an in-vitro decision making tool.
• Drug Allergy. An objective
assay for the identification of a specific drug allergy is still clearly
an unmet need. Currently there is no reliable clinical laboratory test
that can assist the physician in detection of drug allergy. In collaboration
with Sheba Medical Center in Israel, we have been conducting a multi-year
study to determine whether the CellScan can be used as a new method
for detecting adverse reactions to drugs. The results published in 2005
in Clinical & Developmental Immunology (3) and in International
Archives of Allergy and Immunology (4)) indicate that the CellScan is
a promising apparatus for monitoring drug allergies
• Autoimmune diseases. In collaboration
with Sheba Medical Center in Israel, we have investigated the use of
the Cellscan as a tool in the detection of autoimmune diseases such
as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and atherosclerosis. The results
published in Clinical Application of Immunology (1.) state a correlation
between CellScan results and other tests that measure cell stimulation,
suggesting that the CellScan, used in conjunction with a nucleosomal
antigen, may be an efficient tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of
lupus patients. The CellScan has been also been used to identify patients
with severe coronary heart disease through monitoring the response of
their lymphocytes to disease- associated antigens. The results (reported
in Clinical Applications of Immunology (1) and Clinical Cardiology (2)
show that approximately 85% of patients with severe coronary heart disease
manifested a significant difference in fluorescence polarization when
their lymphocytes were exposed to high doses of certain antigens.
• Other Tests. The Cellscan
has also been used at a number of research institutes in other areas
of research such as breast cancer, tuberculosis and others.
References:
1. Gilburd et al. Autoantigen Cell Activation for Rapid Diagnosis of
Different Autoimmune Disorders: Comparison of Proliferation Assays with
a Static Cytometer (CellScan). Clinical Application of Immunology, 3
(1): 316-323, 2004.
2. Zurgil et al. Reactivity of Periphral Blood Lymphocytes to Oxidized
Low-Density Lipoprotein: A Novel System to Estimate Atherosclerosis
Employing the CellScan. Clinical Cardiology, 22: 526-532, 1999.
3. Goldberg et al. A novel System to Diagnose Cutaneous Adverse Drug
Reactions Employing the CellScan- Comparison with Histamine Realeasing
Test and Inf gamma Releasing Test. Clinical & Developmental Immunology,
12(1): 85-90, 2005.
4. Szyper-Kravitz et al. Hypersensitivity to Mycophenolate Mofetil in
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Diagnostic Measures and Successful Desensitization.
International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, 138: 334-336, 2005.
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