SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STIMULATION AND OPTICAL SURVEYING IN A NON INVASIVE MANNER OF THE ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY OF AT LEAST A CELL

摘要

This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for optically stimulating and detecting the electrical activity of at least one cell (2A,...,21D) in a cell culture (2) placed on a substrate (3). The apparatus (1) is capable of exciting a bio-activatable molecule (16) positioned in the vicinity of at least one cell (2A,...,2D) through the introduction of a light stimulus in at least one transmission means (5, 5A,...,5D), the latter being located in relation to the said at least one cell (2A,...,2D) in such a way that the light stimulus is propagated within the said transmission means (5, 5A,...,5D). The apparatus according to the invention has the feature of detecting a light component which is radiated by a fluorescent marker due to the generation of the said electrical activity of the said at least one cell (2A,...,2D), the said light component being propagated through the said at least one transmission means (5, 5A,...,5D).