Rapid detection of leukemia cells by use of a complement-mediated cytolytic reaction and an imaging sensor system

We describe a system for detection of leukemia cells involving complement-mediated cytotoxic reaction and an image processing system, consisting of a charge-coupled-device image sensor, an image memory board, a personal computer, and a phase-contrast microscope. Then added to a cell suspension, monoclonal antibody specific to the fetal thymus antigen-1 of the mouse leukemia GRSL cell produced cytolysis of only GRSL cells. This cytolysis decreased the brightness of the cells observed by phase-contrast microscopy. The remaining brightness was subtracted from that of the phase-contrast image of the cells before cytolysis, which had been converted to a digital signal and stored in computer memory. Measurement time is 2 s. The time course for complete GRSL cytolysis, as measured with this system, is 12 min; overall measurement time, including reaction time, is approximately 15 min. GRSL cells in a suspension of mixed cells were determined specifically by the system.