ATP test

The ATP test is a test method that can be used to determine the amount of adenosine triphosphate ( ATP ) in the cells. All human, animal, plant, bacterial, yeast and mold cells can be examined with it.

This procedure is used in two areas.

Detection of microbiological contamination

It is used in the quality control of products or processes to detect contamination of microorganisms. This is because the presence of ATP in the samples indicates contamination by microorganisms.

Detection of chemosensitivities

Patients with tumors of the same histological type can show significant differences in the response to chemotherapy . Often the disease cannot be completely overcome with the first therapy, so that further therapies (“second-line” and “third-line” with other drugs) are necessary. The effectiveness of the cytostatics can be predicted with the ATP test; this also applies in particular to the ineffectiveness. This makes an optimal treatment success in tumor therapy tangible.

Living tumor cells in the patient are treated “in a test tube” ( in vitro ) with chemotherapeutic agents that the oncologist selects specifically for the disease. After a few days, the vitality of the tumor cells is determined in the laboratory. The drug in which the fewest tumor cells have survived is the most effective. If a selected drug or combination does not show any effectiveness under laboratory conditions, it is said to be resistance and effectiveness against the tumor is very unlikely.

See also

Other terms that overlap with the topic:

• Cytostatic
• Chemosensitivity test

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 3M ™ Food Safety Website - Product Catalog: ATP Testing . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
2. ↑ New ATP test for industrial microbiology - - HY-LiTE® Plus, for a quick determination of microbiological activity . Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 14, 2012.  
3. ↑ SGS - Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
4. ↑ Neubauer et al., Anticancer Res . 28, 949 (2008)
5. ↑ Lau et al., Biomed Pharmacother 61, 562 (2007)
6. ↑ Chen et al., Ai Zheng 24, 1018 (2005)
7. ↑ Cree et al., Anti-Cancer Drugs 7, 630 (1996)
8. ↑ Kurbacher et al., Methods Mol Med 110, 101 (2005)
9. ↑ Konecny ​​et al., Gynecologic Oncol. 77, 258 (2000)

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