Evaluation of 3RT1 cell quantity by a multimodal optical approach

Parkinson´s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that impairs neurological functions due to the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra. It is anticipated that future treatments will involve cell therapeutic techniques that will allow the replenishment of dopamine producing neurons. Previous studies involving these treatments have shown mixed results with the negative successes attributed to a high death rate amongst cells used in the therapy. The exact reason for the high rate is currently unknown, but many potential reasons have been formulated. A neuro-catheter device has been developed that aims to help reduce cellular death and ideally allow consistent successful cell therapy for the treatment of Parkinson´s Disease. The device operates using a fluorescence-based cytometer at the distal tip of the catheter, which is used to detect the number of living cells exiting the catheter. The fluorescence detected is from Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) produced by the cells which emits green light only when the cell is alive and excited with a blue wavelength. Initial tests have shown that the intensity of light emitted from the cells is nonlinear in relation to concentration of cells in a sample. This has led to an investigation on how light being emitted into a cell sample behaves in terms of attenuation and scatter with relation to changes in cell concentration, in order to gain a better understanding of the fluorescent emissions. Results show that by using attenuation and scatter the concentration of cells can be measured.