Integrating live cells with semiconductor devices: A biocompatibility assay

There is increasing interest in the development of small hybrid cell-semiconductor systems for the non-invasive evaluation of the physiological state of a cell population. These miniature devices can be used in many areas of biomedical applications, ranging from basic research to drug screening during cancer chemosensitivity testing in clinics. A prerequisite for the biological and medical application of these devices is that cells retain their functional and growth properties when in contact with the semiconductor sensor material. The sensor surface is usually coated with dielectric silicon dioxide (SiO2 ) or a silicon nitride layer (Si3 N4 ); therefore, cellular adhesion to these materials and cellular viability on these surfaces are of crucial im-portance. This is especially true for bone cells that are sensitive to the surface microstructure. Therefore, we investigated the short-term (1-7 days) behavior of model bone cells (MG63 human osteosarcoma cells) grown on silicon samples coated with SiO2 . Cell adhesion and morphology were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) 1 day after seeding and cell pro-liferation was evaluated by Alamar Blue assay at 2, 3 and 7 days after seeding. No adverse cellular reactions could be detected with these assays suggesting that the tested substrate is suitable for the hybrid cell-semiconductor systems that test bone tumor chemosensitivity.