BDS' innovative' CALUX^® cells have been tailored so that they produce light in a dose responsive way when exposed to certain chemicals. For example: the DR CALUX^® for dioxins and/or dioxin-like PCB's, the ER CALUX^® for (anti)estrogens compounds and the AR CALUX^® for (anti)androgen compounds.

The switch that turns the light on is specific to compounds or groups of compounds that have the same mode of action giving the specific CALUX® assay a selectivity and biological relevance that cannot be matched by instrumental techniques.

And now more technically...

The mechanism of action of chemicals such as PHAHs has been extensively studied over the past decades and BDS CALUX^® assay mimics this mechanism in a biologically relevant way.

PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs share a common mode of action. These compounds bind to an intracellular receptor, known as the aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor. Binding to the Ah receptor is followed by transportation of the PHAH-Ah receptor complex into the nucleus of the cell and subsequent binding to specific sequences in the DNA. The same mode of action applies for other chemicals.

These specific DNA sequences are called responsive elements (REs). Binding of the chemical-receptor complex to the RE triggers the expression of RE associated genes. The toxicological impact of the chemicals starts with the observed change in gene expression.