Lipid Droplet Analysis

Image based analysis of lipid droplet formation is used in two application areas: predicting drug toxicity and metabolic diseases.

Predicting drug toxicity is a major concern for drug regulatory agencies. Phospholipidosis, a lipid storage disorder in which excess phospholipids accumulate within cells, can occur as an adverse drug reaction with many cationic amphiphillic drugs. Drug-induced phospholipidosis in hepatocytes causes failure of the liver, kidney and respiratory system. High Content Assays for phospholipidosis, for example by staining intracellular lipid droplets with fluorescent dyes, are used to predict the toxicity of a compound.

Metabolic diseases can cause a variety of disorders such as hepatosteatosis, which is fat deposition in hepatocytes in the liver. These fat deposits can be visualized and analyzed using High Content Analysis. Other factors that contribute to hepatosteatosis include alcohol, drugs and nutritional disorders.

Lipid droplets in cells, visualized using Bodipy 493/503

Our Lipid Droplet Analysis solutions

Drawing on many years of experience and in-depth knowledge, PerkinElmer offers solutions for every throughput, a starting point for typical lipid droplet analysis assays and unlimited possibilities for customization:

Opera High Content Screening System

• High sample throughput with multi-color parallel image acquisition and over 100,000 data points per day

Operetta Compact High Content Screening System

• High speed with large field of view and large cell number captured with every image
• Ready-made image analysis sequences for spot analysis and documentation on how to customize
• Unlimited possibilities for adding parameters and modifying readout

Acapella Image Analysis Software

• Image analysis sequences for spot analysis
• Unlimited possibilities for adding parameters and modifying readout

Columbus High Volume Data Management and Analysis System

• Enterprise level data management from assay development to high throughput screening seamlessly linking high content data, research data, in vivo imaging data, result management, screening statistics, biological and chemical data

cell::explorer Automated High Content Screening System

• Full environmental control and workstation with hand-over of plates from imager to incubator for short-term and long-term live cell assays