Capillary tube scanning applied to cell growth kinetics.

We have developed an optical scanning instrument which may become a valuable aid in a variety of cell studies. Cell multiplication can be readily monitored with the instrument. By varying the chemical environment in which the cells are tested, questions of research and clinical interest may be quickly and conveniently answered. It appears possible to investigate the chemotherapeutic value of experimental agents, and to scan the sensitivity of a given population of neoplastic cells to a variety of chemotherapeutic agents at several concentrations. The optical scanning system may also be used to investigate certain metabolic pathways of cells in tissue culture, to determine drug resistance, and to assess the effects of medium composition on cell growth. Our studies of BrdU resistance in mouse lymphoma cells were done primarily to demonstrate the potential of this optical scanning method, and we do not intend to continue the cytokinetic studies at present. We trust that others will be stimulated to investigate further applications of this instrumental approach to problems in cell biology.