美國Applied BioPhysics (ABP)www.biophysics.com
ECIS細胞動態(tài)分析儀
ECIS? (Electrical Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing)是一種生物物理學新技術，能夠?qū)崟r、定量、及非侵入性的研究生長細胞的形態(tài)、位置、數(shù)目，等變化。該技術由Dr. Ivar Giaevar和Dr. Charles R. Keese于80年代在美國通用公司（General Electric Corperate）電氣實驗室發(fā)明。由于該技術與生物醫(yī)學基礎研究相關，并非美國通用公司的主要利益所在，所以沒有受到美國通用公司的重視。因此，當該技術逐漸顯露出其在細胞分析領域的應用以后，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，并形成成熟的儀器以供廣大科研工作者利用該技術進行細胞分析。
Applied Biophysics公司總裁，ECIS?技術發(fā)明者，Dr. Ivar Giaevar是著名的物理學家，因?qū)﹄娮铀淼篮统瑢Ю碚摰难芯揩@得1973年諾貝爾物理學獎。其后Dr.Ivar Giaevar對生物物理現(xiàn)象進行了深入研究，特別是生物大分子和細胞在金屬表面的行為和電學特性方面。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在美國通用公司電氣實驗室發(fā)明了ECIS?技術。
ECIS?技術所用的電極具有特殊的構造，解決了通常兩個電極間阻隔了高電阻物體（如：細胞）時，電流會從高電阻物體四周流過，而難于準確反應高電阻物體本身的電阻變化的缺點。同時從理論上建立了新型的數(shù)學、物理模型來計算電阻改變和細胞變化之間的關系。
從1993年商業(yè)化成熟的ECIS儀器面世以后，ECIS技術迅速在多個細胞分析領域顯示出其優(yōu)越性。目前主要應用方向包括：細胞生長、細胞微動力、細胞損傷與修復、細胞與基質(zhì)間作用、細胞間連接、細胞形態(tài)改變、細胞遷移、細胞侵潤、藥物對細胞作用的測試，等。儀器在美國、歐洲多家實驗室安裝超過數(shù)百臺。用戶中包括：NIH、美國CDC-NOISH、哈佛大學醫(yī)學院、普林斯頓大學、紐約大學SUNY、加州大學洛山基分校（UCLA）、Johns Hopkins醫(yī)學院、布朗大學、東京大學，等研究所，及Allergan、Genentech、Novo Nordisk，等著名生物公司。利用ECIS技術發(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.