Patent ID: 7853409

Claim:
A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising a program containing a set of instructions when executed cause a cell screening system to execute procedures for detecting translocation of a cellular component of interest between a first cellular compartment and a second cellular compartment on and/or within cells, wherein the procedures comprise: a) providing an array of locations that contain multiple cells, wherein the cells contain a plurality of fluorescent reporter molecules, wherein the plurality of fluorescent reporter molecules comprises optically distinguishable fluorescent reporter molecules that report on: i) individual cells; ii) the first cellular compartment; iii) the second cellular compartment; and iv) a cellular component of interest; wherein the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on the cellular component of interest are optically distinguishable from the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on individual cells, the first cellular compartment, and the second cellular compartment; b) automatically scanning multiple cells in each of the locations containing cells to obtain fluorescent signals from the plurality of fluorescent reporter molecules; c) automatically identifying cells from the fluorescent signals; d) automatically defining a first cellular compartment mask and a second cellular compartment mask in the cells from the fluorescent signals; e) automatically determining an intensity of the fluorescent signals from the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on the cellular component of interest; and f) automatically determining one or both of the following: i) a ratio of the intensity of the fluorescent signals from the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on the cellular component of interest in the first cellular compartment mask and the second cellular compartment mask; and ii) a difference of the intensity of the fluorescent signals from the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on the cellular component of interest in the first cellular compartment mask and the second cellular compartment mask; wherein the ratio of the intensity of the fluorescent signals from the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on the cellular component of interest in the first cellular compartment mask and the second cellular compartment mask and/or the difference of the intensity of the fluorescent signals from the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on the cellular component of interest in the first cellular compartment mask and the second cellular compartment mask provides a measure of the translocation of the cellular component of interest between the first cellular compartment and the second cellular compartment on and/or within the cells.