Abstract
Eukaryotic cells are complex structures formed by several compartments. They present dynamic morphometry and functions, which are assessed in basic cell research to elucidate their behavior in response to different interventions, as well as to study several pathogenic processes and for diagnosis and therapy. Due to this wide use, new methods, tools and designs concerning the structural and functional imaging study of eukaryotic cells have been continuously developed, generating several patents that are deposited at the main offices of intellectual property around the world. Here, we reviewed the recent patents on morphometric analysis of eukaryotic cells deposited in the main patent databanks, i.e. the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Patent Office (EPO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). We found fifty four patents covering several morphometric aspects of eukaryotic cells, such as general cell morphology, organelles and nuclear morphology, three-dimensional imaging and live cell imaging. Patents related to methods in tissue imaging were also included. We further classified each patent according to its use (i.e. in vitro or in vivo) and applicability (i.e. research, diagnosis or therapy). At the end, we discuss in an integrate manner the main aspects and significance of the reported patents.
Keywords: Eukaryotic cell imaging, general cell morphology, live cell imaging, nuclear morphology, organelles morphology, three-dimensional imaging, tissue imaging.
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