Applied BioPhysics, Inc. is focused on applying the results of biophysical research to provide practical tools for cell research and drug discovery.
ECIS™ or Electric Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing is a novel electrical method to study, in real time, many of the activities of animal cells when grown in tissue culture. These include morphological changes, cell locomotion, and other behaviors directed by the cell's cytoskeleton. This technology was invented by Drs. Ivar Giaever and Charles R. Keese while working at General Electric Corporate Research and Development, but its commercial potential was not explored as it fell outside of GE's core interests. In 1991, as the potential applications of the ECIS technology became more apparent, Giaever and Keese formed Applied BioPhysics, Inc. as a private company to develop, commercialize and market this and other biophysical technologies. Applied BioPhysics is located next to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus, where several collaborative research projects are ongoing in the academic laboratories.
Since the formation of the company, the ECIS approach has been applied to numerous investigations including measurements of the invasive nature of cancer cells, the barrier function of endothelial cells, in vitro toxicity testing as an alternative to animal testing, and signal transduction involving GPCR's for modern drug discovery.
Instruments are now located throughout the United States as well as in Asia and Europe. Customers include Johns Hopkins University, The University of Tokyo, Vanderbilt University, Brown University, Genentech, and Allergan to mention a few. Drs. Giaever and Keese continue to develop new innovations to enhance the ECIS technology including most recently an automated wound healing assay and a device to study the behavior of cells under flow conditions – both now commercially available.