Application Note: Accelerated TCID50 Assay Using Live-Cell Analysis
Authors: Jennifer J. Labisch, Natasha Lewis, Jemma Thomson, Catriona Thomson, Paul Keselman, Michael W. Olszowy | Last updated: July 2024
Overview
The use of viruses and viral vectors in gene therapy, cell therapy, vaccines, and basic research requires precise infectious titer assessments, often hindered by tedious and lengthy infectivity assays. The tissue culture infectious dose 50 (TCID50) assay is essential for determining the dilution at which 50% of cell culture wells show a cytopathic effect (CPE) due to virus infection. Despite its widespread use, the manual readout of TCID50 via visual CPE assessment is labor-intensive and error-prone, highlighting the need for an automated solution.
Explore a staining-free evaluation of viral infectivity using the Incucyte Live-Cell Analysis System’s automated confluence analysis to improve accuracy, reduce manual steps, and shorten incubation time from 8 to 3.5 days. The system's effectiveness is demonstrated using herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) and Vero cells as a model.
- Document type: Application Note
- Page count: 8
- Read time: 10 minutes
Key Takeaways
- A rapid, stain-free, and simplified approach for high-throughput functional quantification of viruses.
- Real-time, kinetic readouts and integrated software enable tracking of cytopathic effects in infected cells over time
- Reduction of manual steps and shortened incubation time
- Reduction in hands-on time and manipulation of potentially harmful virus containing plates on a daily basis
