A METHOD OR DEVICE FOR IDENTIFYING INHIBITOR OF EPITHELIAL MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION

摘要

A method of identifying inhibitors of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The method may comprise comparing different sets of image data obtained from one or more cell colonies before (T1) and after (T2) exposure to a possible inhibitor of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The method may further comprise measuring the cell number and a spreading coefficient value in the one or more cell colonies for determining cell count ratio (CCR) and normalized cell dispersion ratio (CDR) for the one or more colonies. The possible inhibitor may then be identified to be an inhibitor of EMT if the determined CCR and CDR indicates that the possible inhibitor i) does not or marginally inhibit growth and inhibits EMT, or ii) inhibits growth and inhibits cell dispersion and optionally inhibits also EMT, or iii) is cytotoxic and inhibits cell dispersion and optionally inhibits also EMT.