Monica P Colaiacovo

US Patent:

20120028837, Feb 2, 2012

Filed:

Feb 1, 2011

Appl. No.:

13/018681

Inventors:

Monica Colaiacovo - Newton MA, US
Patrick Allard - Cambridge MA, US

Assignee:

PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE - Cambridge MA

International Classification:

C12Q 1/18
C40B 30/06
G01N 33/53
C12Q 1/66

US Classification:

506 10, 435 32, 435 8, 435 71

Abstract:

Disclosed herein are methods to assess the biological safety of an agent. The method involves contacting one or more test agents to a culture of and analyzing the culture for meiotic disruption, wherein an increase in meiotic disruption of the indicates that the test agent(s) has reduced biological safety to mammals. An increase in meiotic disruption of the also indicates a likelihood that the test agent is a reproductive toxicant in higher animals, such as humans. Also disclosed are methods to identifying disruptors of fat homeostasis in a mammal. The method involves contacting one or more test agents to a culture of and analyzing the culture for fat content, wherein a change in the fat content, as compared to an appropriate control, indicates that the test agent(s) is a likely disruptor of mammalian fat homeostasis.