Patent ID: 9733236
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: G01N

Claim:
1. An in vitro method of determining the effect of an agent on a heterogeneous population of cells comprising tissue stem cells, transient cells and terminally differentiated cells, comprising: a. culturing a heterogeneous population of cells comprising tissue stem cells, transient cells and terminally differentiated cells, b. contacting the cultured cells of step a) with an agent; c. performing sequential passages of the cultured cells of step b) based on a specific time interval for passage rather than passage based on cell density, wherein the cells are sequentially passaged at the predetermined time interval using the same dilution factor at each passage such that the cells do not reach more than 50% confluency at the time for passage, and wherein the cells are sequentially passaged until at least two passages are performed without any increase in cell number in the culture prior to next passage; d. determine the number of cells in the heterogeneous population at the time of each passage; e. plotting the number of population doubling versus time of passage to obtain a growth curve for the heterogeneous population; and f. comparing the growth curve of step e) to a control culture that has not been contacted with the agent of step b), wherein a deviation of the curve of step e) from the control indicates the agent has either a toxic or a positive effect on tissue stem cells, transient cells, or terminal cells.