title: Improving high-content-screening assay performance by using division-arrested cells.
abstract: As cell-based assays are used more commonly in robotic high-throughput compound screening, cells themselves have become critical reagents. Thus, it has become essential to produce cell reagents with high consistency and quality. We experimented with cells division-arrested with low-level mitomycin C treatment and demonstrate that they perform with better consistency than non-division-arrested counterparts in high-content screening imaging assays. We propose that for cell-based screening, it is possible to uncouple the cell production process from the screening process. Cells can be produced en masse, treated to become irreversibly division-arrested, and cryopreserved. These "ready-to-use" reagents can be thawed, plated, and used in screening with improved consistency and convenience.
authors.affiliation: Cellomics Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Chandrasekaran
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vasudevan
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fursov
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maunder
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cong
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Federici
authors.forename: Jeffrey R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Haskins
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Livelli
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D016685:Mitomycin