Patent ID: 7141369

Claim:
A method for obtaining at least one measurement of cellular metabolism of at least one specific living cell or at least one specific organelle in a sample, comprising the steps of: a) providing a binder comprising: (i) a planar flat-surfaced solid substrate comprised of quartz glass; (ii) polyionic layers comprising an alternating arrangement of at least one polyanion layer and at least one polycation layer coated on and substantially parallel to the surface of said planar flat-surfaced solid substrate; and (iii) at least one antibody or antibody fragment, affixed to the outermost of said polyionic layers and capable of binding a specific molecule located on said at least one specific living cell or said at least one specific organelle; b) providing a sample suspected of containing said at least one specific living cell or said at least one specific organelle; c) contacting said sample with said binder; d) incubating said sample and said binder under conditions that allow said antibody or antibody fragment to bind said specific molecule, thereby immobilizing said at least one specific living cell or said at least one specific organelle; e) providing a culture solution containing a substrate that can induce cellular metabolism; f) contacting said culture solution with said immobilized at least one specific living cell or said immobilized at least one specific organelle; and g) measuring change of pH of said culture solution to measure cellular metabolism.