美國(guó)Applied BioPhysics (ABP)www.biophysics.com
ECIS細(xì)胞動(dòng)態(tài)分析儀
ECIS? (Electrical Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing)是一種生物物理學(xué)新技術(shù)，能夠?qū)崟r(shí)、定量、及非侵入性的研究生長(zhǎng)細(xì)胞的形態(tài)、位置、數(shù)目，等變化。該技術(shù)由Dr. Ivar Giaevar和Dr. Charles R. Keese于80年代在美國(guó)通用公司（General Electric Corperate）電氣實(shí)驗(yàn)室發(fā)明。由于該技術(shù)與生物醫(yī)學(xué)基礎(chǔ)研究相關(guān)，并非美國(guó)通用公司的主要利益所在，所以沒有受到美國(guó)通用公司的重視。因此，當(dāng)該技術(shù)逐漸顯露出其在細(xì)胞分析領(lǐng)域的應(yīng)用以后，在1991年，Dr. Ivar Giaevar和Dr. Charles R. Keese毅然決定創(chuàng)辦Applied Biophysics公司，繼續(xù)開發(fā)這一技術(shù)，并形成成熟的儀器以供廣大科研工作者利用該技術(shù)進(jìn)行細(xì)胞分析。
Applied Biophysics公司總裁，ECIS?技術(shù)發(fā)明者，Dr. Ivar Giaevar是著名的物理學(xué)家，因?qū)﹄娮铀淼篮统瑢?dǎo)理論的研究獲得1973年諾貝爾物理學(xué)獎(jiǎng)。其后Dr.Ivar Giaevar對(duì)生物物理現(xiàn)象進(jìn)行了深入研究，特別是生物大分子和細(xì)胞在金屬表面的行為和電學(xué)特性方面。80年代初期，為了其研究需要，Dr. Ivar Giaevar和其研究伙伴Dr. Charles R. Keese在美國(guó)通用公司電氣實(shí)驗(yàn)室發(fā)明了ECIS?技術(shù)。
ECIS?技術(shù)所用的電極具有特殊的構(gòu)造，解決了通常兩個(gè)電極間阻隔了高電阻物體（如：細(xì)胞）時(shí)，電流會(huì)從高電阻物體四周流過，而難于準(zhǔn)確反應(yīng)高電阻物體本身的電阻變化的缺點(diǎn)。同時(shí)從理論上建立了新型的數(shù)學(xué)、物理模型來計(jì)算電阻改變和細(xì)胞變化之間的關(guān)系。
從1993年商業(yè)化成熟的ECIS儀器面世以后，ECIS技術(shù)迅速在多個(gè)細(xì)胞分析領(lǐng)域顯示出其優(yōu)越性。目前主要應(yīng)用方向包括：細(xì)胞生長(zhǎng)、細(xì)胞微動(dòng)力、細(xì)胞損傷與修復(fù)、細(xì)胞與基質(zhì)間作用、細(xì)胞間連接、細(xì)胞形態(tài)改變、細(xì)胞遷移、細(xì)胞侵潤(rùn)、藥物對(duì)細(xì)胞作用的測(cè)試，等。儀器在美國(guó)、歐洲多家實(shí)驗(yàn)室安裝超過數(shù)百臺(tái)。用戶中包括：NIH、美國(guó)CDC-NOISH、哈佛大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)院、普林斯頓大學(xué)、紐約大學(xué)SUNY、加州大學(xué)洛山基分校（UCLA）、Johns Hopkins醫(yī)學(xué)院、布朗大學(xué)、東京大學(xué)，等研究所，及Allergan、Genentech、Novo Nordisk，等著名生物公司。利用ECIS技術(shù)發(fā)表的文章近400篇，在Applied Physics公司網(wǎng)頁中公開的文章就有100多篇，其中包括Nature等知名雜志。
Applied BioPhysics, Inc. is focused on applying the results of biophysical research to provide practical tools for cell research and drug discovery.
ECIS™ or Electric Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing is a novel electrical method to study, in real time, many of the activities of animal cells when grown in tissue culture. These include morphological changes, cell locomotion, and other behaviors directed by the cell's cytoskeleton. This technology was invented by Drs. Ivar Giaever and Charles R. Keese while working at General Electric Corporate Research and Development, but its commercial potential was not explored as it fell outside of GE's core interests. In 1991, as the potential applications of the ECIS technology became more apparent, Giaever and Keese formed Applied BioPhysics, Inc. as a private company to develop, commercialize and market this and other biophysical technologies. Applied BioPhysics is located next to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus, where several collaborative research projects are ongoing in the academic laboratories.
Since the formation of the company, the ECIS approach has been applied to numerous investigations including measurements of the invasive nature of cancer cells, the barrier function of endothelial cells, in vitro toxicity testing as an alternative to animal testing, and signal transduction involving GPCR's for modern drug discovery.
Instruments are now located throughout the United States as well as in Asia and Europe. Customers include Johns Hopkins University, The University of Tokyo, Vanderbilt University, Brown University, Genentech, and Allergan to mention a few. Drs. Giaever and Keese continue to develop new innovations to enhance the ECIS technology including most recently an automated wound healing assay and a device to study the behavior of cells under flow conditions ?both now commercially available.