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Published on: October 4, 2019
Flexible electrical recording from cells using nanowire transistor arrays
Tzahi Cohen-Karni1, Brian P Timko, Lucien E Weiss
1School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Summary
Researchers created a flexible method to connect semiconductor nanowire field-effect transistors (NWFETs) with cells. This allows for high-resolution monitoring of cardiomyocyte activity, paving the way for advanced bioelectronic interfaces.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Bioelectronics
- Cellular Biology
Background:
- Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) possess unique electronic properties and nanoscale dimensions suitable for interfacing with biological systems.
- Developing active interfaces between nanostructures and cells is crucial for advanced bioelectronic applications.
- Silicon NWFETs offer potential for high-resolution cellular monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a flexible approach for interfacing NWFETs with cells.
- To investigate the performance of silicon NWFET arrays coupled with embryonic chicken cardiomyocytes.
- To enable high-resolution, multiplexed recording of cellular activity.
Main Methods:
- Culturing cardiomyocyte cells on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sheets.
- Fabricating silicon NWFET arrays on standard substrates.
- Interfacing PDMS-supported cells with Si-NWFET arrays for signal recording.
- Modulating NWFET sensitivity via gate-voltage potential (V(g)).
- Analyzing signal amplitude, noise ratio, and calibrated voltage variations.
- Performing multiplexed recordings to assess spatial and temporal resolution.
Main Results:
- Achieved excellent signal-to-noise ratios (>5) in NWFET conductance signals from cardiomyocytes.
- Demonstrated tunable signal amplitudes by adjusting V(g), indicating a robust NWFET/cell interface.
- Observed a reversible >2x increase in signal amplitude with controlled displacement of the cell support.
- Recorded high calibrated signal amplitudes (up to 10.5 mV) without cell disruption.
- Enabled multiplexed recordings for determining temporal shifts and signal propagation with good resolution.
Conclusions:
- The developed modular approach simplifies interfacing cells with high-performance Si-NWFETs.
- This method enhances the experimental versatility of NWFET arrays for bioelectronic applications.
- The technology allows for device registration at the subcellular level, offering unprecedented insight into cellular dynamics.
