Abstract: Compounds are provided having the capability of binding therapeutically active substances to lipid containing bio-compatible particles, such as cells or viruses. These compounds include a bio-affecting moiety, comprising a therapeutically active substance, which is linked via a linking moiety to at least one hydrocarbon substituent selected so that the compounds is sufficiently non-polar to impart lipid binding capability to the compound. Thus, compounds of the invention are useful for site-selective delivery of therapeutic agents, and retention thereof at the selected site.Methods are provided for using various compounds of the invention in treatment of diseases or other pathological conditions. For example, methods are provided for treatment of: (1) post-angioplasty restenosis; (2) rheumatoid arthritis; (3) tumor cell proliferation, particularly tumor cells associated with ovarian cancer; and (4) psoriasis.

Abstract: The presence or quantity of a selected subset of cells, which is part of a subpopulation of a mixed cell population, is determined by a method in which a detectable reporter substance is uniformly incorporated into substantially all cells of the subpopulation containing the subset of interest. The subset of interest is then affinity-separated by incubating a test sample of the mixed cell population containing the labeled subpopulation with a specific binding substance which selectively binds to characteristic determinants of the cell subset of interest. Occurrence of the reporter substance in the separated fraction is then detected, and correlated to a predetermined standard to determine the presence or quantity of the subset of interest within the cell population. According to another aspect of the invention a method is provided for quantitating two or more selected subsets of cells within a subpopulation of a mixed cell population.

Abstract: Analytes, having a characteristic determinant that selectively interacts with a specific binding substance, are determined by coupling a reporter substance to the analyte, or to the specific binding substance, causing complex formation between the analyte and the specific binding substance in a test medium, separating the complexes thus formed from the test medium, and determining the presence or quantity of the analyte of interest by detecting the occurrence of the reporter substance in the complexes or the separated test medium. The determination is preferably performed on biomembrane-containing entities, such as cell subpopulations and/or subsets thereof, the reporter substance being stably associated with the lipid component of the biomembrane. Reagents and test kits are disclosed for performing the analyte determination.

Abstract: Invented are new tetracarboxylate compounds which are chelators for calcium ions. Also invented is a useful method of measuring intracellular calcium concentrations using these novel compounds as an optical indicator.