The Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing is an academic center affiliated with the Division of Toxicological Sciences in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

 

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Research Grants 1993-1994

Development of In Vitro Monitoring Techniques Based on Genetically Engineered Bioluminescence

David S. Holmes, PhD
Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York

The firefly luciferase gene (luc) will be used as a reporter to evaluate the effect of animoglycoside drugs on the cellular metabolism of a well characterized epithelial cell line derived from the pig kidney. The objective of this study is to isolate a clonal line that expresses light consistently under defined conditions of growth.

Since cellular light expression is a function of ATP concentration and aminoglycoside drugs are known to reduce ATP levels, the researchers believe that light output should correlate with drug activity. The research will also attempt to determine whether the development of aminoglycoside drugs retaining antimicrobial activity but exhibiting reduced toxicity is feasible.