OneCell, of Cambridge, Mass., has introduced its Gel Microdrop Growth Assay. The assay is designed to quickly quantify effects of compounds on growth of individual cells. Compounds to be tested include cytotoxic agents, antibiotics, and growth factors. The populations of cells can then be analyzed individually through flow cytometry to identify sub-populations of interest, such as those that are drug resistant," the company said.
This assay is based on OneCell's Gel Microdrop technology, which consists of "a small, agarose-based microsphere that encapsulates an individual cell in a porous gel matrix," the company said. The technology allows a variety of assays to be performed on large populations of cells in Gel Microdrops simultaneously, through introduction of numerous reagents into an agarose matrix that surrounds the Microdrops. The individual encapsulation of the cells enables the cell phenotype and function to be examined cell by cell, the company said.
BioVision has introduced a new FractionPREP cell fractionation kit. The kit includes 50 assays and is designed for the preparation, serially, of four different protein fractions from one sample. These fractions include cytosol/particulate/cytoskeleton/nuclear fractions, and can be used in downstream assays such as enzyme assays or reporter assays, the company said.