Transformative technology developed at the Vancouver Prostate Center (VPC) is putting cell analysis in the hands of scientists around the world. The technology, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered smartphone app called SnapCyte, produces data for medical research on cell growth faster and at a fraction of the cost compared to current technology.
“We developed SnapCyte based on the need for basic and affordable cell analytics that can be accessed by any scientist working in a cell culture or biotechnology laboratory,” says Dr. Mads Daugaard, Associate Professor at urological sciences at UBC and senior researcher at UBC. VPC. “This app provides affordable, high-performance laboratory technology that can be conveniently accessed from a smartphone.”
Used in the analysis of cancer cells and other diseases at a microscopic scale, the first smartphone application of its kind aims to boost the development of new personalized medical treatments. Dr. Daugaard and his team at VPC, a Center of Excellence hosted by UBC and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, developed the technology based on their own need for fast and accurate cell growth data. Now they want to bring the innovative technology to researchers around the world.
“The app returns precision data results within five minutes,” he says. “With previous technology, this process would typically take 45 minutes to an hour with the highest-end live-cell imaging and analysis platforms, or 24 hours with colorimetric assays.”
Dr. Mads Daugaard
Researchers say SnapCyte simplifies workflows without compromising accuracy. Unlike current technology that uses duplicate samples of a cell culture with a medium/serum solution, SnapCyte can be used in experiments on the plates where the cell culture is grown. It also collects and displays cumulative data from cells in growth curves to help monitor cell development over time, which can be easily shared among researchers.
“We developed SnapCyte based on the need for basic and affordable cell analytics that can be accessed by any scientist working in a cell culture or biotechnology laboratory…” Dr. Mads Daugaard
“All you have to do is take the cell culture plate out of an incubator for a minute and put it under a microscope where you can then take a picture of it with your smartphone,” says the Dr. Daugaard.
Scientists can also monitor cell growth in the same well or stack of plates continuously and add nucleic acids or other substances, in a process called transfection, when it is optimal.
“This platform can be very useful in drug detection,” says Dr. Daugaard. “When comparing multiple drug candidates, SnapCyte can very accurately and quickly assess how each drug works on cancer or other cells to identify the most effective treatment.”
Bringing cell analysis within the reach of laboratories around the world
At a few hundred dollars per year, the app’s affordability makes the platform an accessible option for labs unable to purchase expensive cell analysis equipment.
“Many labs don’t have the funding to buy new $25,000 to $30,000 machines, or the budget to support the ongoing investment of thousands of dollars a month needed to use the equipment,” says Dr. Daugaard.
SnapCyte’s cloud-based platform allows users to not only accurately measure their collective cell culture data in minutes, but the big data it collects could also provide important insights to further advance research scientific
The app’s AI algorithm is continuously learning from the data it receives from its users, says Dr. Daugaard. Although the data is protected, the app’s effectiveness will improve over time as it learns and shares knowledge with the research community.
“It’s time to democratize research, and that’s what we’re doing here,” says Dr. Daugaard. “We’re putting something on the market for a fraction of the cost that will perform at least as well as, or even better than, many other devices available today.”
The SnapCyte app is currently in final beta testing and is expected to launch worldwide early next year.
A version of this story originally appeared on the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute website.