The new interface is designed to make the In Cell Analyzer 3000 and 1000 into effective high-content screening (HCS) systems.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will collaborate to develop an interface that will allow HCS analysis on both GE Healthcare's sub-cellular imaging instruments and Cellomics' high content informatics (Hci) platform.
Cellomics will develop and sell software that allows data and images generated by GE Healthcare's IN Cell Analyzer 3000 and IN Cell Analyzer 1000 sub-cellular imaging systems to be extracted and interrogated by Cellomics Store and vHCS Discovery ToolBox, key components of Cellomics' HCi platform.
When used with the IN Cell Analyzer 3000 and IN Cell Analyzer 1000 systems, the software will enable researchers to store, mine and interpret data, said the companies in a statement.
Amersham developed the IN Cell Analyzer in response to increasing demand for technologies that would enable testing of potential new drugs directly in cells - called cell-based assays. It enables researchers to view cell function in real time and to observe the biological changes that occur when a drug compound enters a cell.
The system's detection technology permits subcellular imaging and the analysis of nearly 400 assays in as little as 15 minutes and of over 10,000 cellular images in eight hours. At the heart of the IN Cell Analyzer is a proprietary, laser-based, confocal imaging system that includes three high-speed cameras.