THE FLUORESCENT LOCATION OF ABNORMAL CERVICAL CELLS EMPLOYING THE PRINCIPLE OF DIFFERENTIAL COMPETITIVE-INHIBITION

The screening of cervical smears is concerned with the detection of ab normal epithelial cells which may be indicative of cervical intraepith elial neoplasia (GIN). Several types of cells in cervical smears posse ss a cell surface protease where isoenzymic forms of this enzyme can b e differentially inhibited. Using this phenomenon a simple fluorescent technique has been developed in conjunction with differential competi tive inhibition which enables abnormal cervical epithelial cells to bi nd the fluorescent probe whilst other cells do not bind the probe. The abnormal cells can then be located by fluorescence microscopy and the ir co-ordinates recorded for subsequent characterisation of these cell s by nuclear analysis employing haematoxylin to stain the nuclei.