Cancer immunotherapy is an encompassing term referring to therapeutic strategies that aim to boost the immune system to fight cancer. These strategies include administering immune cells that have been altered to have greater anti-tumor activity or using biologics and small molecules that target immune components to also promote tumor clearance. Natural Killer (NK) cells are cells of the innate immune system that recognize and kill abnormal cells such as cancer cells and play an important role in the anti-tumor response. Because of their crucial role in tumor immunity, NK cells are prime targets for immunotherapies. Repurposing small molecule drugs is an attractive strategy to identify new immunotherapies from already approved drugs. Here, we screened 1,200 approved drugs from the Prestwick Chemical Library to identify drugs that increase NK cell cytotoxicity. We used a high-throughput luciferase-release cytotoxicity assay to measure the killing of the myeloid leukemia cell line, K562 cells expressing nano luciferase (NL) by NK92 cells, a human NK cell line. From the drug candidates identified from the screening assay, the antibiotic colistin sulfate increased cytotoxicity of the NK92 cell line and unstimulated human NK cells towards K562-NL cells. This increase in NK cytotoxicity was short-lived as pre-treating NK92 cells with colistin for 1 hour or 24 hours did not increase cytotoxicity. Also, we show pre-treating K562-NL target cells with colistin does not sensitize them to NK-mediated killing. Further studies are needed to uncover the mechanism of action of colistin, thus contributing to knowledge of fundamental NK cell biology regarding NK cell cytotoxicity which will aid in identifying additional small molecule drugs that enhance NK cell activity.

<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>Chemotherapy is a common method used for cancer treatment. Especially when it concerns cancers that have grown invasively it seems to be the only efficient treatment due to the substances ability to reach and affect almost the entire body. One major obstacle regarding chemotherapy is that the patients often develop resistance to the cytotoxic substances used. Fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay (FMCA) is a method developed to measure sensitivity of tumor cells to different cytotoxic substances in vitro. The assay is based on hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate to fluorescein by cells with intact cell membranes after incubation with drugs for 72 hours. This study investigated the impact of two methodological factors that may cause errors in the achieved results; namely the possible occurrence of drug decay during incubation and the use of an inappropriate amount of cells. These factors were tested by exposing the cytotoxic drugs to pre-incubation in absence of tumor cells for different times and to use suspensions with different concentrations of cells. The results indicated occurrence of drug decay in 3 of the 18 substances tested and that the amount of cells affected the results for most of the drugs tested but to different extent.</p>

The work in this thesis is divided into two parts; the first is the synthesis of a ‘switch-on’ fluorophore to measure cell viability, and the second is the development of a fluorescent detection method for protein−peptide affinity assays applied in the identification of protein-protein inhibitors. Tetrazolium salts are often used in cytotoxicity assays as indicators of cell viability as they are reduced to deeply coloured formazans exclusively in healthy cells. However, measuring the absorbance of the formazan is prone to bias from other coloured species in the cell media, requires solubilisation and can be difficult to quantify. A preferable method of detection is direct fluorescence as it is easily quantified, more sensitive and would ideally remove the need to solubilise the insoluble dye. The aim of this project was to synthesise a tetrazolium salt that could be reduced to a soluble fluorescent formazan in healthy cells as an indicator of cell viability. A number of fluorescent formazans were synthesised by incorporation of a fluorophore. The corresponding tetrazolium salts were non-fluorescent and could be reduced to the formazan in vitro. Several formazans were synthesised to attempt to increase the emission wavelength and intensity to overcome cellular autofluorescence. Protein-protein interactions have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many human diseases but until recently were considered undruggable. However, peptides have emerged as ideal compounds for targeting the large and relatively featureless protein interfaces. Work focussed on the discovery of peptide inhibitors for the E3 ubiquitin ligase stationary-phase kinase associated protein (Skp2). Potential peptide inhibitors were identified using CelluSpot synthesis and array technology to screen peptide libraries. Qualitative analysis of the protein affinity assay results by enhanced chemiluminescent detection was found to be misleading, and so a quantifiable and more sensitive fluorescent detection method was developed.

ABSTRACT Chemotherapy is a common method used for cancer treatment. Especially when it concerns cancers that have grown invasively it seems to be the only efficient treatment due to the substances ability to reach and affect almost the entire body. One major obstacle regarding chemotherapy is that the patients often develop resistance to the cytotoxic substances used. Fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay (FMCA) is a method developed to measure sensitivity of tumor cells to different cytotoxic substances in vitro. The assay is based on hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate to fluorescein by cells with intact cell membranes after incubation with drugs for 72 hours. This study investigated the impact of two methodological factors that may cause errors in the achieved results; namely the possible occurrence of drug decay during incubation and the use of an inappropriate amount of cells. These factors were tested by exposing the cytotoxic drugs to pre-incubation in absence of tumor cells for different times and to use suspensions with different concentrations of cells. The results indicated occurrence of drug decay in 3 of the 18 substances tested and that the amount of cells affected the results for most of the drugs tested but to different extent.

Disease development of wild-type and Rag1 mutant zebrafish was evaluated after challenge with Snakehead Rhabdovirus (SHRV), a novirhabdovirus. Rag1 mutants lack T and B lymphocytes and thus lack lymphocyte-based acquired immunity. Wild-type zebrafish became more disease resistant as they aged (4 months and older) and at an elevated temperature (28°C) but mutants remained sensitive at all ages and temperatures tested. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT qPCR) demonstrated that interferon gamma and MxA expression significantly increased in both types of fish at 2 days post-infection with subsequent dwindling of expression. The high interferon gamma expression suggests activation of natural killer cells (and/or T lymphocytes in wild-type fish), and the up-regulation of MxA expression indicated an activation of type 1 interferon response. The development of protection in virus exposed fish was evaluated by lethal challenge at 3 weeks post vaccination. Vaccinated wild-type fish showed significant protection and while most of the mutant groups showed no protection. One vaccination treatment group of the mutants demonstrated a significantly slower mortality and less overall mortality. The results suggest that lymphocyte based immunity imparts a robust protective response to SHRV while low-level protection can develop in the absence of lymphocytes. A cell mediated cytotoxicity assay was established. Cell lines were developed from the inbred fish populations and class I MHC U lineage genes were compared. The mhc1uba and mhc1uca genes were found in the mutant and cells but no class I MHC U lineage genes were detected in the wild-type fish or cells. These cells were used as targets in cytotoxicity assays. Kidney-marrow cells of vaccinated mutant or wild-type zebrafish killed more SHRV infected target cells than did those from non-vaccinated fish with the wild-type effectors showing higher cytotoxicity. The lymphocyte component appears responsible for the temperature and age associated resistance. This helps explain why novirhabdoviruses cause higher losses in young fish and at low temperatures. Further studies are needed to understand the relative contribution of the cellular components that play important role in SHRV resistance, but the establishment of cytotoxicity assays is an important first step in dissecting the cellular defenses in zebrafish.

Immunotoxins (ITs), which consist of antibodies conjugated to toxins, have been proposed as a treatment for cancer and chronic infections. To develop and improve the ITs, different toxins such as ricin, have been used, aiming for higher efficacy against target cells. The toxin pulchellin, isolated from the Abrus pulchellus plant, has similar structure and function as ricin. Here we have compared two plant toxins, recombinant A chains from ricin (RAC) and pulchellin (PAC) toxins, for their ability to kill HIV Env-expressing cells. Briefly, RAC and PAC were produced in E. coli, and chromatographically purified, then chemically conjugated to two different anti-HIV monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), anti-gp120 MAb 924 or anti-gp41 MAb 7B2. These conjugates were characterized biochemically by microcapillary electrophoresis and BCA assay and immunologically by a variety of ELISA tests. We performed a side-by-side comparison of their ability to bind, enter and kill HIV infected cells (H9/NL4-3) or Env-transfected 293T cells, as well as their non-specific toxicity on uninfected or non-transfected parental cells. Cell binding and internalization were studied by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Results showed that PAC can function within an effective IT. The ITs demonstrated specific binding against native antigens on persistently HIV-infected cells and recombinant antigens on Env-transfected cells. An irrelevant antibody conjugated to either RAC or PAC had no effect. PAC cytotoxicity appears somewhat less than RAC, the standard for comparison. This is the first report that PAC may have utility for the design and construction of therapeutic ITs, highlighting the potential role for specific cell targeting not only for AIDS also for cancer therapy. / As toxinas imunológicas (TIs), que consistem em anticorpos conjugados com toxinas, foram propostas como tratamento para câncer e infecções crônicas. Para desenvolver e melhorar as TI, diferentes toxinas, como a ricina, foram usadas, visando uma maior eficácia contra células alvo. A toxina pulchellina, isolada da planta de Abrus Pulchellus, tem estrutura e função semelhantes à da ricina. Aqui, comparamos duas toxinas de plantas, cadeias A recombinantes de toxinas de ricina (RAC) e pulchellina (PAC), por sua capacidade de matar células que expressam HIV. Resumidamente, RAC e PAC foram produzidos em E. coli e purificados por cromatografia, depois conjugados quimicamente com dois anticorpos monoclonais anti corpo-HIV diferentes (MAcs), MAc 924 anti-gp120 ou MAc 7B2 anti-gp41. Estes conjugados foram caracterizados bioquimicamente por eletroforese microcapilar e teste BCA e imunologicamente por uma variedade de testes ELISA. Realizamos uma comparação lado-a-lado de sua capacidade de ligar, entrar e matar células infectadas pelo HIV (H9 / NL4-3) ou células 293T transfectadas com Env, bem como a sua toxicidade não específica em parentes não infectados ou não transfectados Células. A ligação celular e a internalização foram estudadas por citometria de fluxo e microscopia confocal. Os resultados mostraram que PAC pode funcionar dentro de uma TI efetiva. As TI demonstraram ligação específica contra antígenos nativos em células persistentemente infectadas pelo HIV e antígenos recombinantes em células transfectadas com Env. Um anticorpo irrelevante conjugado com RAC ou PAC não teve efeito. A citotoxicidade de PAC aparece um pouco menor que o RAC, o padrão de comparação. Este é o primeiro relatório que o PAC pode ter utilidade para o projeto e a construção de TI terapêuticas, destacando o papel potencial para o direcionamento celular específico, não apenas para a AIDS, também para a terapia do câncer.

Um conceito central na dosimetria da terapia fotodinâmica (TFD) é o limiar de dose (Dth do inglês threshold dose). O Dth é definido como a quantidade mínima de luz que deve ser absorvida pelas moléculas de fotossensibilizador (FS) dentro das células malignas a serem tratadas para que ocorra a morte celular por necrose ou apoptose. Os resultados do estudo da captação de FS por células Hep G2 demonstraram que uma população celular de linhagem, cultivada em monocamada, apresenta captação de Photogem (PG) heterogênea, ou seja, algumas células têm maior capacidade de captar moléculas de PG, outras células captam o PG em menor quantidade. A captação heterogênea de PG pode ser a causa para fenômenos de seleção de células mais resistentes à TFD. É razoável supor que as subpopulações celulares de uma mesma massa de células malignas possam apresentar diferentes valores de Dth. Definiu-se uma função de distribuição das doses limiares (g()) como uma função de distribuição gaussiana, e para a sua parametrização desenvolveu-se um método para o cultivo in vitro de culturas tridimensionais (culturas 3D), mais fidedignas ao tecido neoplásico maligno que as culturas tradicionais. Utilizando-se o método de levitação magnética (MLM) e o método de impressão magnética (MIM) para a dosimetria da TFD, foi possível parametrizar a g(Dth), investigar a resistência celular à TFD. O MLM demonstrou ser facilmente manuseável na rotina experimental, e consistente para o teste in vitro de novos FS. Comparando-se as culturas MDA-MB-231e Hep G2, obtidas por MLM por mais de 185 horas de levitação, pode-se concluir que as células Hep G2 formaram uma estrutura celular mais densa e que ofereceu mais resistência ao dano causado pela TFD. É notável como as células Hep G2 retomaram o crescimento, e restabeleceram-se em cultura de modo semelhante ao grupo controle, por meio da reconstrução da matriz extracelular (MEC). Enquanto isso, no caso das células MDA-MB-231, a integridade da cultura não foi restabelecida após a aplicação da TFD, formando uma cultura fragmentada. O dano mais evidente, para ambas as culturas, foi observado nas margens dos tumores, evidenciando que os componentes importantes da reação fotodinâmica, como o fotossensibilizador, a luz e o oxigênio, estavam presentes em maiores quantidades na superfície da cultura, em comparação às outras regiões tumorais. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que para o Photogem (PG) é necessária uma fluência de luz da ordem de 40 J.cm-2, para que o efeito fotodinâmico promova morte celular nas culturas 3D obtidas pelo MLM. O resultado da combinação de dois tipos celulares, o maligno (MDA-MB-231) e o sadio (HPF), demonstrou que o efeito fotodinâmico é efetivo quando se tem controle adequado da entrega dos agentes da terapia, independentemente do tipo celular. Algumas células sobreviveram ao tratamento, e existe um forte indicativo de que a presença de fibroblastos HPF esteja relacionada a esta pequena parcela de células que receberam dose de luz inferior ao seu Dth. Os resultados demonstraram que quanto maior a fluência de luz, menor é o IC50 do PG. Para a fluência de luz de 60 J.cm-1 obteve-se um IC50 de 3,1 &mu;g.mL-1, e para a fluência de luz de 30 J.cm-1 obteve-se um IC50 de 18,0 &mu;g.mL-1. / Photodynamic therapy (PDT) dosimetry includes a central concept: the threshold dose (Dth), which is the minimum amount of light to be absorbed by the photosensitizer (PS) molecules to induce irreversible oxidative damage, and hence to cause cell death by necrosis or apoptosis. It is reasonable to assume that cells subpopulation in one individual tumor cell mass may present different Dth values, which implies the existence of a distribution of Dth values defined by a Gauss distribution function (g(Dth)). Developing methods for more realistic tissue emulation with in vitro cultures, such as three-dimensional (3D) cultures, have been encouraged aiming to avoid the above-mentioned dissimilarities. A 3D cell culture is preferable compared to monolayer cell cultures, because it provides cell-cell and cell-substrate interaction, and makes evaluating a culture and its volumetric dimension (which resembles the tumor morphology) possible. This study also includes the development of a 3D model, using the magnetic levitation method (MLM) and the magnetic printing method (MIM, from Portuguese método de impressão magnetic) for PDT dosimetry. The aim is to define parameters for g(Dth), to investigate cell resistance to PDT, and to achieve a fast and consistent method for new PS in vitro tests. By comparing cultures from the different cell types studied, the ones obtained by MLM for more than 185 hours were found to present a denser cellular structure, which provided improved resistance to PDT-induced damage. Hep G2 cells showed a remarkable behavior by being able to recover culture integrity; meanwhile MDA-MB-231 cells were not able to do so. The most evident damage, for both cell culture types, was observed on tumor margins, showing that the main elements to play a role in PDT reaction (PS, light and oxygen) were present in larger quantities, at culture surface, when compared with internal regions of the cell culture. Results obtained for PG show that a light fluence of about 40 J.cm-2 is required to induce cell death by photodynamic effect on 3D cells obtained by MLM. A combination of two different cell types - a tumor cell line and a healthy cell line - shows clearly that there is no difference for the photodynamic outcome if one holds enough control on the therapeutic parameters. The results presented in this thesis show that even a strain cell population, grown in a monolayer cell culture, results in a non-homogeneous PG uptake, which means that part of the cells seems to be able to collect PG molecules more efficiently than other cells. This difference in collection among cells may be the cause of a selection of cells that are more \"resistant\" to PDT. There were cells that survived treatment, and the presence of HPF fibroblasts might be the cause of these surviving cells, since their Dth might have not been achieved. The results showed that as higher is the light fluence, as lower is the IC50 of PG. The fluence of 60 and 30 J.cm-1 resulted in IC50 of 3.1 and 18.0 &mu;g.mL-1, respectively.

Immunotoxins (ITs), which consist of antibodies conjugated to toxins, have been proposed as a treatment for cancer and chronic infections. To develop and improve the ITs, different toxins such as ricin, have been used, aiming for higher efficacy against target cells. The toxin pulchellin, isolated from the Abrus pulchellus plant, has similar structure and function as ricin. Here we have compared two plant toxins, recombinant A chains from ricin (RAC) and pulchellin (PAC) toxins, for their ability to kill HIV Env-expressing cells. Briefly, RAC and PAC were produced in E. coli, and chromatographically purified, then chemically conjugated to two different anti-HIV monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), anti-gp120 MAb 924 or anti-gp41 MAb 7B2. These conjugates were characterized biochemically by microcapillary electrophoresis and BCA assay and immunologically by a variety of ELISA tests. We performed a side-by-side comparison of their ability to bind, enter and kill HIV infected cells (H9/NL4-3) or Env-transfected 293T cells, as well as their non-specific toxicity on uninfected or non-transfected parental cells. Cell binding and internalization were studied by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Results showed that PAC can function within an effective IT. The ITs demonstrated specific binding against native antigens on persistently HIV-infected cells and recombinant antigens on Env-transfected cells. An irrelevant antibody conjugated to either RAC or PAC had no effect. PAC cytotoxicity appears somewhat less than RAC, the standard for comparison. This is the first report that PAC may have utility for the design and construction of therapeutic ITs, highlighting the potential role for specific cell targeting not only for AIDS also for cancer therapy. / As toxinas imunológicas (TIs), que consistem em anticorpos conjugados com toxinas, foram propostas como tratamento para câncer e infecções crônicas. Para desenvolver e melhorar as TI, diferentes toxinas, como a ricina, foram usadas, visando uma maior eficácia contra células alvo. A toxina pulchellina, isolada da planta de Abrus Pulchellus, tem estrutura e função semelhantes à da ricina. Aqui, comparamos duas toxinas de plantas, cadeias A recombinantes de toxinas de ricina (RAC) e pulchellina (PAC), por sua capacidade de matar células que expressam HIV. Resumidamente, RAC e PAC foram produzidos em E. coli e purificados por cromatografia, depois conjugados quimicamente com dois anticorpos monoclonais anti corpo-HIV diferentes (MAcs), MAc 924 anti-gp120 ou MAc 7B2 anti-gp41. Estes conjugados foram caracterizados bioquimicamente por eletroforese microcapilar e teste BCA e imunologicamente por uma variedade de testes ELISA. Realizamos uma comparação lado-a-lado de sua capacidade de ligar, entrar e matar células infectadas pelo HIV (H9 / NL4-3) ou células 293T transfectadas com Env, bem como a sua toxicidade não específica em parentes não infectados ou não transfectados Células. A ligação celular e a internalização foram estudadas por citometria de fluxo e microscopia confocal. Os resultados mostraram que PAC pode funcionar dentro de uma TI efetiva. As TI demonstraram ligação específica contra antígenos nativos em células persistentemente infectadas pelo HIV e antígenos recombinantes em células transfectadas com Env. Um anticorpo irrelevante conjugado com RAC ou PAC não teve efeito. A citotoxicidade de PAC aparece um pouco menor que o RAC, o padrão de comparação. Este é o primeiro relatório que o PAC pode ter utilidade para o projeto e a construção de TI terapêuticas, destacando o papel potencial para o direcionamento celular específico, não apenas para a AIDS, também para a terapia do câncer.

Um conceito central na dosimetria da terapia fotodinâmica (TFD) é o limiar de dose (Dth do inglês threshold dose). O Dth é definido como a quantidade mínima de luz que deve ser absorvida pelas moléculas de fotossensibilizador (FS) dentro das células malignas a serem tratadas para que ocorra a morte celular por necrose ou apoptose. Os resultados do estudo da captação de FS por células Hep G2 demonstraram que uma população celular de linhagem, cultivada em monocamada, apresenta captação de Photogem (PG) heterogênea, ou seja, algumas células têm maior capacidade de captar moléculas de PG, outras células captam o PG em menor quantidade. A captação heterogênea de PG pode ser a causa para fenômenos de seleção de células mais resistentes à TFD. É razoável supor que as subpopulações celulares de uma mesma massa de células malignas possam apresentar diferentes valores de Dth. Definiu-se uma função de distribuição das doses limiares (g()) como uma função de distribuição gaussiana, e para a sua parametrização desenvolveu-se um método para o cultivo in vitro de culturas tridimensionais (culturas 3D), mais fidedignas ao tecido neoplásico maligno que as culturas tradicionais. Utilizando-se o método de levitação magnética (MLM) e o método de impressão magnética (MIM) para a dosimetria da TFD, foi possível parametrizar a g(Dth), investigar a resistência celular à TFD. O MLM demonstrou ser facilmente manuseável na rotina experimental, e consistente para o teste in vitro de novos FS. Comparando-se as culturas MDA-MB-231e Hep G2, obtidas por MLM por mais de 185 horas de levitação, pode-se concluir que as células Hep G2 formaram uma estrutura celular mais densa e que ofereceu mais resistência ao dano causado pela TFD. É notável como as células Hep G2 retomaram o crescimento, e restabeleceram-se em cultura de modo semelhante ao grupo controle, por meio da reconstrução da matriz extracelular (MEC). Enquanto isso, no caso das células MDA-MB-231, a integridade da cultura não foi restabelecida após a aplicação da TFD, formando uma cultura fragmentada. O dano mais evidente, para ambas as culturas, foi observado nas margens dos tumores, evidenciando que os componentes importantes da reação fotodinâmica, como o fotossensibilizador, a luz e o oxigênio, estavam presentes em maiores quantidades na superfície da cultura, em comparação às outras regiões tumorais. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que para o Photogem (PG) é necessária uma fluência de luz da ordem de 40 J.cm-2, para que o efeito fotodinâmico promova morte celular nas culturas 3D obtidas pelo MLM. O resultado da combinação de dois tipos celulares, o maligno (MDA-MB-231) e o sadio (HPF), demonstrou que o efeito fotodinâmico é efetivo quando se tem controle adequado da entrega dos agentes da terapia, independentemente do tipo celular. Algumas células sobreviveram ao tratamento, e existe um forte indicativo de que a presença de fibroblastos HPF esteja relacionada a esta pequena parcela de células que receberam dose de luz inferior ao seu Dth. Os resultados demonstraram que quanto maior a fluência de luz, menor é o IC50 do PG. Para a fluência de luz de 60 J.cm-1 obteve-se um IC50 de 3,1 &mu;g.mL-1, e para a fluência de luz de 30 J.cm-1 obteve-se um IC50 de 18,0 &mu;g.mL-1. / Photodynamic therapy (PDT) dosimetry includes a central concept: the threshold dose (Dth), which is the minimum amount of light to be absorbed by the photosensitizer (PS) molecules to induce irreversible oxidative damage, and hence to cause cell death by necrosis or apoptosis. It is reasonable to assume that cells subpopulation in one individual tumor cell mass may present different Dth values, which implies the existence of a distribution of Dth values defined by a Gauss distribution function (g(Dth)). Developing methods for more realistic tissue emulation with in vitro cultures, such as three-dimensional (3D) cultures, have been encouraged aiming to avoid the above-mentioned dissimilarities. A 3D cell culture is preferable compared to monolayer cell cultures, because it provides cell-cell and cell-substrate interaction, and makes evaluating a culture and its volumetric dimension (which resembles the tumor morphology) possible. This study also includes the development of a 3D model, using the magnetic levitation method (MLM) and the magnetic printing method (MIM, from Portuguese método de impressão magnetic) for PDT dosimetry. The aim is to define parameters for g(Dth), to investigate cell resistance to PDT, and to achieve a fast and consistent method for new PS in vitro tests. By comparing cultures from the different cell types studied, the ones obtained by MLM for more than 185 hours were found to present a denser cellular structure, which provided improved resistance to PDT-induced damage. Hep G2 cells showed a remarkable behavior by being able to recover culture integrity; meanwhile MDA-MB-231 cells were not able to do so. The most evident damage, for both cell culture types, was observed on tumor margins, showing that the main elements to play a role in PDT reaction (PS, light and oxygen) were present in larger quantities, at culture surface, when compared with internal regions of the cell culture. Results obtained for PG show that a light fluence of about 40 J.cm-2 is required to induce cell death by photodynamic effect on 3D cells obtained by MLM. A combination of two different cell types - a tumor cell line and a healthy cell line - shows clearly that there is no difference for the photodynamic outcome if one holds enough control on the therapeutic parameters. The results presented in this thesis show that even a strain cell population, grown in a monolayer cell culture, results in a non-homogeneous PG uptake, which means that part of the cells seems to be able to collect PG molecules more efficiently than other cells. This difference in collection among cells may be the cause of a selection of cells that are more \"resistant\" to PDT. There were cells that survived treatment, and the presence of HPF fibroblasts might be the cause of these surviving cells, since their Dth might have not been achieved. The results showed that as higher is the light fluence, as lower is the IC50 of PG. The fluence of 60 and 30 J.cm-1 resulted in IC50 of 3.1 and 18.0 &mu;g.mL-1, respectively.

Modern techniques like automated microscopy and spectroscopy now make it possible to study quantitatively, across multiple phenotypic and molecular parameters, how cell populations are affected by different treatments and/or environmental disturbances. As the technology development at the instrument level often is ahead of the data analytical tools and the scientific questions, there is a large and growing need for computational algorithms enabling desired data analysis. These algorithms must have capacity to extract and process quantitative dynamic information about how the cell population is affected by different stimuli with the final goal to transform this information into development of new powerful therapeutic strategies. In particular, there is a great need for automated systems that can facilitate the analysis of massive data streams for label-free methods such as phase contrast microscopy (PCM) imaging and spectroscopy (NMR). Therefore, in this thesis, algorithms for quantitative high-throughput phenotypic and systemic profiling of in vitro growing cell populations via label-free microscopy and spectroscopy are developed and evaluated. First a two-dimensional filter approach for high-throughput screening for drugs inducing autophagy and apoptosis from phase contrast time-lapse microscopy images is studied. Then new methods and applications are presented for label-free extraction and comparison of time-evolving morphological features in phase-contrast time-lapse microscopy images recorded from in vitro growing cell populations. Finally, the use of dynamic morphology and NMR/MS spectra for implementation of a reference database of drug induced changes, analogous to the outstanding mRNA gene expression based Connectivity Map database, is explored. In conclusion, relatively simple computational methods are useful for extraction of very valuable biological and pharmacological information from time-lapse microscopy images and NMR spectroscopy data offering great potential for biomedical applications in general and cancer pharmacology in particular.