I have performed a clonal growth assay in which cells are seeded at v.
low density, treated with growth factors and allowed to proliferate for
10 days. At the end of the assay, cells are fixed with formaldehyde and
stained with crystal violet. Standard protocols recommend elution of the
dye with Sorenson's solution (buffered ethanol) but I would like to
image the data and then obtain a quantitative measurement of area and
intensity of colonies. Scanning is OK, but some information is lost and
the NIH image program does not seem to accurately measure the
intensity/area. I would appreciate any advice on how best to image
stained colonies.
