Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Apparatus – Including measuring or testing
Patent
1996-09-18
1998-08-04
Jones, W. Gary
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Apparatus
Including measuring or testing
4352872, 435325, 435404, 435 32, 382133, 382 6, 382107, 382110, 382128, 382156, 382160, 382165, 382194, 382237, C12M 134, C06K 900, C06K 936, C12N 500
Patent
active
057892423
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a method for determination of the toxicity of substances soluble in, or miscible with, water.
The invention equally relates to a suitable device for carrying out the method, as well as an application thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known that, under the effect of toxic substances, the vitality of organisms is impaired. While this is enough to give proof of the presence of such substances, it does not permit conclusions to be drawn concerning the degree of toxicity and/or concerning the substance.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a method that facilitates a quantitative statement concerning the toxicity of substances and that at least contributes to a reduction of the still common, time-consuming experiments using mammals within the framework of essential safety tests.
It is a further object to provide a device permitting the method to be automated, its evaluation to be rationalized and authentically documented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, this is achieved by detecting a change in the mobility and/or in the size of at least two individuals of a single type of test organism in an aqueous medium under the effect of at least one toxic substance during at least two intervals of time, with at least one reference measurement and at least one further measurement being carried out after the admixture of the toxic substances. The concept "mobility" was adopted from solid-state physics and describes the "movement activity" and, in particular, the "mobility" of the test organisms which, in aqueous media, is simply observed as their "shift of location" per unit time.
This mobility can however also be perceived by observing the function of specific organs of the test organism.
An elevated frequency of the mobility of single organs permits conclusions to be drawn concerning a specific toxicity, without the resulting "shift of location" of the organisms being necessarily affected.
With substances inhibiting cell growth, observation or measurement of the size of the test organisms as a function of time constitutes a measure of this specific type of toxicity.
Toxicity determinations of this sort can be carried out in parallel with mobility determinations, but also separately therefrom, with the same instrumental means.
According to the invention, it is possible to use microorganisms for the determination of toxicity of substances by measuring the effect of single substances or of combinations of substances on the changes in these organisms. Such measurements allow the necessary amount of experiments on pain-perceptive laboratory animals to be massively reduced.
To increase the significance of the measurements, it is the preferred practice to observe a plurality of groups of identical test organisms separated from one another and to collectively evaluate each group.
A further advantage of the method resides in its simplicity and facile applicability, as well as in its low costs.
The concept of toxicity is, however, not limited to the effect of poison in the conventional sense; it can be expanded to apply to any perceptible effect (reaction) on a living organism.
The device for carrying out the method is characterized in that an image acquisition unit is provided which, in predeterminable time intervals, carries out object recognition and a sequential recording of the object position in at least one plane, that the image acquisition unit is associated with an evaluation arrangement including a computer and display means which, in relation to the toxicity present, carry out a statistical evaluation of the mobility of the organisms.
In the most simple case, the image acquisition unit is designed to be mechanically displaceable and is guided over the samples to be examined.
A change in mobility is expressed by a distance traversed per unit time by the test organism.
Significant values of mobility can be derived from acceleration.
The toxicity calculated according to the invention is a relative toxicity, related to a standard toxicity.
Determi
REFERENCES:
patent: 4856073 (1989-08-01), Farber et al.
Vol. 62 Rev. Scl Instrum, Three Dimensional Recording and Measurement. . . S. Baba et al pp540-541 (Feb. 1991).
WPI/Derwent Abstracts A.P. Eskov et al., Water Toxic Monitor. . . -- SU1677630.
Patent Abstracts of Japan -- JP 1047950, S. Isao. Identification And Separation Method. . . Pub Feb. 22, 1989.
Leumann Mathias
Portmann Rudolf
Thommen Stefan
Jones W. Gary
Rees Dianne
Schweizerische Eidgenossenshaft Vertreten Durch Das AC-Laborator
LandOfFree
Method and device for determining toxicity as well as the use th does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and device for determining toxicity as well as the use th, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and device for determining toxicity as well as the use th will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1176172