Strategies for a Novel Anti-Influenza Therapy

Abstract

This experiment compares the implications of two methods of measuring viral particles, specifically Influenza particles in human cell lines in vitro. These strategies include plaque assays and xCELLigence screening. Plaque assays, also known as reduction assays, are plates that are overlaid with semi-solid medium that limits the spread of the virus and shows where each particle is located based on the "plaque" or empty space on the plates where cells have died and been removed. xCELLigence screening is a newer program that checks for "impedance", an artificial number that will measure the cells killed by virus as well as cell to cell interaction on a 96 well plate that utilizes gold microelectrodes. Both methods have variables that can make them useful in certain situations, however, the focus is on how reliable the xCELLigence program is in comparison to more traditional methods of quantifying viral particles.