Methods for assessing the electrical potential of cells

Abstract

A method of using an apparatus for assessing the electrical potential of cells in a living organism using a high-density sensor array having a density of at least about 9 electrodes per square inch for measuring the potential of the static and quasi-static electromagnetic fields of the group of cells proximal to each electrode, where the array can be placed overlying at least a portion of a surface of a living organism with substantially all of the electrodes electrically contactable with such surface, and the surface overlying a site containing cells of clinical interest.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for assessing the clinical significant electrical potential created by static and quasi-static electromagnetic fields of cells in a living organizing, the steps of the method comprising:
 (a) applying a device comprising a printed high-density macro array of passive sensor electrodes having a selectable spacing including at least one geometrically repeated pattern of sensor electrodes, formed with a conductive electrolyte overlying each sensor electrode in the high-density macro array, a normal control setting device processor configured to take an electrical potential measurement of each electrode of the high-density array;   (b) obtaining a set of measurements of an electrical potential of each electrode of the array at a first surface overlying a site containing cells of clinical interest;   (c) taking the measurement of the electrical potential of at least one other surface of the living organism as a reference proximate to the measurement taken in step (b);   (d) determining the variability of measurements of the array electrodes;   (e) setting a normal control for patient mean values across the array;   (f) measuring the variability of signals;   (g) performing a convolution of each measurement at each location of the array, by averaging each array measurement with itself and its nearest neighbors, thereby generating a new set of array values;   (h) repeating steps (c) through (g) at least three times, using the previous convoluted values as the starting measurement value for each subsequent step;   (i) adding the differences over the array value convolution step to get an index number corresponding to the variability of measurements of the array.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of (j) assessing the clinical significance of the array readings based on the number obtained in (i). 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electrode array is a high-density sensor array having a density of at least about 9 electrodes per square inch. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising in step (b) taking a set of measurements of the electrical potential of each electrode of an array at a second surface overlying an anatomically equivalent surface to the first surface. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the anatomically equivalent surface is a bilateral symmetrical surface equivalent of the organism. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the anatomically equivalent surface is the same surface measured over a time. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , the each of the surfaces are equivalent surfaces of each breast of a human subject. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step in (h) is repeated for a series selected from the group of at least about 4 times, at least about 6 times, and at least about 8 times. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method has a minimal number of false negatives. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the minimal number of false negatives is a number selected from the group consisting of a number equivalent to the false negative rate resulting from biopsy assessment, and, a number less than 1%.