Transcript Dynamic cell monitoring using a new fractal microscope system

FRACTAL APPROACH TO
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
Oleksandr P. Fedchuk,
Associate Professor, Ph.D.
I.I. Mechnikov Odesa National University
Odesa, 65110 Ukraine
Contact phone : +38 (048) 718 5391
E-mail: [email protected]
Cellular: +38 097 686 0584
Julia set fractal
Julia set fractal was taken
as a model for infection
dissemination process.
The central larger part of
the fractal cluster
denotes the place where
the viral infection was
introduced.
It is seen quite well that
the ways of infection
dissemination over the
substrate is chaotic but
also deterministic as well.
Self-similarity of Julia set fractal as a
model of viral infection
Demonstration of
the object's and
projection's fractal
dimension
equivalence.
Difference in optical densities
in non-infected HEP-2 cells and
infected cells as seen in luminescent microscope
NON-INFECTED HEP-2 CELLS
INFECTED HEP-2 CELLS
It is obvious that introduction of the virus into the cell’s nucleus
leads to the significant increase to the optical density and thus to the
changes in the diffraction pattern.
General view of the fractal microscope kit
We use 5 mW He-Ne unimode laser as the source of coherent
radiation. The use of this type of radiation results in the speckle-type
of diffraction pattern which presents the optical Fourier transform of
the object and, thus, contains a lot of information about object’s
structure which could be extracted using mathematics.
The diffraction pattern as seen along
the laser beam propagation
direction.It is quite obvious that the
geometrical magnification
(limited by the device’s size
only) could be made easily
enough of about 1000x without
any complications caused by
immersion procedure.
This figure describes the
diffraction pattern character
which is transmitted into
computer for further
processing with the use of
problem oriented original
software.
Brief technology description
Developed a new Fractal
Microscopic System (FMS) for
continuous monitoring of the
tiniest changes of an object’s
optical density. FMS provides a
quantitative view of virus-cell
interactions in a time-series of
frames at any stage of the
interaction. The FMS is useful
in life sciences and drug
design, in agriculture and
veterinary sciences, in physics
of liquid crystals and surface
phenomena, in polymer and
colloid chemistry
What does a fractal image tell scientist ?

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The fractal image after processing makes it possible to
estimate the size of the minimal cluster composed by the
units under consideration (e.g. cells, nuclei or viruses) and
the fractal dimension D of the cluster itself which
demonstrates the level of the space filling as well as the
cluster progress.
In one example, we have shown that the intra-spinal brain
fluid has liquid crystalline properties and forms a fractal
cluster. The cluster’s fractal dimension was changed as a
result of brain trauma and the recovery process was
accompanied by the changes of the fractal dimension. The
treatment of the trauma enhanced the rate of the fractal
dimension changes.
Another experimental application of the fractal microscope
is with leukemia blood serum samples. The normal serum
had distinctively other values of the fractal dimension than
that taken from the leukemia patient. The treatment of the
leukemia case demonstrated the changes in fractal
dimension towards normal values of this system parameter.
Innovative Aspect and Main
Advantages

The FMS is based on the fractal structural properties of an
object’s organization. The computerized fractal microscope
could take frames of any nano-scale process, monitoring it
in real time. The FMS has numerous benefits compared
with the standard techniques, such as the direct infected
cells’ luminescent microscopic counting:

It is a better and simpler way of providing a quantitative
description,

It provides an objective quantitative numeric measurement,

It gives in-line quick monitoring of virus-cell interaction
could be realized at any stage.
Problem Description & Market Need

The problem is to elaborate and introduce a new original
effective device for virus-cell interaction monitoring at every
stage beginning from the very first ones (especially in the cases
of emergency).

The starting market are the international pharmaceuticals’ drug
design centers interested in express analysis of the drug efficacy
evaluation as well as clinical laboratories all over the world.

The potential market is very wide and includes firstly the
healthcare systems of developing countries which need urgently
the portable device for field antiviral detection and research.
Areas of Application
Applications of FMS to life sciences and drug design:
 For anti-viral applications FMS provides a quantitative view of the viruscell interaction in a time-series of frames at any stage of the interaction,
 For detecting viral infections of the animal semen during artificial
insemination,
Applications to agriculture and veterinary sciences:
 Food and drug quality monitoring,
 Viral infection transfer monitoring in domestic animals and wild nature.
Applications to surface science phenomena:
 For organic materials water dissolution limits establishment,
 For chain polymerization process monitoring and for production of
polymers,
 For problems of surface and interface exchange in physics and physical
chemistry,
 Self-organization and clusterization control in nano-technologies.
CONCLUSIONS
As the result of the theoretical discussion of the real experiment, we
would like to state the following:
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The possibility of the fractal approach application to the problem of virus-cell
interaction is comprehensively based on the platform of modern coherent
optics, mathematics and computer science.

The use of the proposed approach has a lot of benefits as compared to the
standard techniques, especially due to its better and simpler way of the
quantitative, objective and express type of virus-cell in-line interaction
monitoring.

The fractal approach could be used widely with the purpose of virus-cell
interaction every stage details' evaluation and it will allow, in perspective,
the perpetual dynamic monitoring of the processes on the molecular level of
self-organization.

The proposed fractal approach is mainly applicable in laboratory and clinical
antiviral research as well as in drug design and testing process due to its
attractive abilities of high sensitivity, express character and numerical way
of data processing.
STAGE of DEVELOPMENT
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A prototype of the FMS has been assembled
and tested. It is ready for presentation and
metrological procedures.

International patent applications are
anticipated.
TARGETED MARKET SEGMENT

Fractal microscope could be used as an express-method of viral
particles presence monitoring as well as the evaluation their
infective index.

Thousands of the proposed devices are anticipated in the
developing countries suffering from viral infections

The market price of the device could be made as small as a triple
price of the computer included.
Competition

The anticipated competition is presented mainly by the following
companies engaged in optoelectronics devices production such
as:
THORLABS 435 Route 206, P.O.Box 366, Newton, NJ 078600366, U.S.A. Tel: 973 579 7227, Fax: 973 300 3600,
www.thorlabs.com
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MELLES GRIOT Carlsbad, California 1-800-835-2526
Fax: 760 804 0049, E-mail: [email protected]
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NEW FOCUS 2584 Junction Avenue, San Jose, CA 95134-1902
phone: 866 683 6287, fax: 408 919 6083
Competitive Matrix
Important product
or technology
characteristics
My company or
institute’s product
Name of
Competitor #1
Name of
Competitor #2, etc.
Key Characteristic
(a)
Express monitoring
Precise
measurement
Special size
particles
Key Characteristic
(b)
Fully automated
Key Characteristic
(c)
Possibility of free
viral particles
detection
Key Characteristic
(d) (usually cost)
The cost is lower
The cost is ten
times higher
The cost if five
times higher
Opportunities

The opportunity for joint work is provided as the
joint stock US-Ukrainian enterprise organization
based either in Ukraine or in the U.S.A.

I seek from my potential companion a fruitful
cooperation in the world market access

The enterprise will cost not more than 10 million
US dollars
Contact information

Oleksandr P. Fedchuk, Associate Professor, Ph.D.,

Contact phone #: +38 (048) 718 5391, 732 5565 ;
cellular +38 097 686 0584

E-mail: [email protected]

I.I. Mechnikov Odesa National University
Balkivska Str. 30A, appt.79, Odesa, 65110 Ukraine