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ANANBIOANAL - 2010
Pharmaceutical R & D Summit
doi:10.4172/2155-9872.1000040
Interpreting Data from in Vitro Methods for Determining Cellular
Cytotoxicity of Anticancer Drugs and Therapies
Michael A. Firer
Department of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology, Ariel University Center, Ariel, Israel
T
he ability to induce cellular cytotoxicity in in vitro cell culture systems is often
viewed as an absolute prerequisite in the developmental process of anticancer
drugs. However with developments in basic research revealing a plethora of potential
biochemical, genetic and biological pathways that may affect cellular viability, it has
become increasingly difficult to select a single in vitro assay or assay protocol that
represents a suitable readout for cellular cytotoxicity. This situation complicates
robotic processes such as high throughput screening and comparison of results
between laboratories. Certain assays have become popular due to their ease of
performance, automation or low cost and the data they generate are often reported
as cellular cytotoxicity, even though they actually measure rates of metabolism.
A case in point is the XTT assay. Furthermore, different assays that propose to
measure similar biochemical properties of cells often produce different results when
the same drug is tested on the same cells under similar conditions. Pharmaceutical
and research laboratories alike need to better understand the cellular mechanisms
underlying the assays they employ and to report the data accordingly. This lecture
will explore the more common assays available, emphasizing the breath of cellular
activity that can today be measured with assays appropriate for routine laboratory
practice. In order to produce a broader picture of the affects of anticancer drugs
and therapies, laboratories should aim to adopt 3-4 routine assays that measure
different cellular activities.
ANALBIOANAL-2010
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