Patent ID: 7704745

Claim:
A method for monitoring the status of one or more metabolically active cells comprising one or more cell species, comprising the steps of: a. confining each cell species of the one or more metabolically active cells in one of a plurality of sensing volumes, wherein each sensing volume is coupled with a plurality of different sensors; b. simultaneously measuring two or more analytes of each cell species of the one or more metabolically active cells in each sensing volume at a first time, wherein the simultaneously measuring is done by the recording of the time-course of a plurality of analytes consumed or produced as a result of metabolic activities of the one or more metabolically active cells, and wherein the measurement of each analyte of the one or more metabolically active cells is characterized by a response time; c. simultaneously measuring the two or more analytes of each cell species of the one or more metabolically active cells in each sensing volume at a second time, wherein the step of measuring at the first time and the step of measuring at the second time both are performed by the plurality of different sensors coupled to the corresponding sensing volume during the corresponding response time of the two or more analytes being simultaneously measured; and d. determining the status of each cell species of the one or more metabolically active cells from the measured two or more analytes of each cell species of the one or more metabolically active cells at the first time and the measured two or more analytes of each cell species of the one or more metabolically active cells at the second time.