Patent ID: 6174690
Filing Date: 2001-01-16
Classification: C12Q,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A cell bioassay method for determining the presence in a fluid sample of a toxin having sodium channel-activating activity, said method comprising:(a) incubating, in the presence of a portion of the fluid sample, a culture of cells which express voltage-gated sodium channels which are responsive in a dose-dependent manner to sodium channel-activating toxins and wherein the culture of cells are suspended in a medium comprising an agent that causes persistent activation of the voltage-gated sodium channel, an indicator which is acted upon by living cells to generate a discernable result, and a matrix that holds the culture of cells in a semi-solid suspension; and(b) observing the incubated culture for an incidence of the discernable result, whereby an observation of said result is correlated with the presence of said toxin in said sample.