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A Label-free Technique for the Spatio-temporal Imaging of Single Cell Secretions
Published on: November 23, 2015
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Surface plasmon resonance-based infrared biosensor for cell studies with simultaneous control.
Alexander Zilbershtein1, Amir Bein2, Vladislav Lirtsman1
1Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Racah Institute of Physics, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel.
Journal of Biomedical Optics
|June 28, 2014
Summary
We developed a novel double-chamber biosensor for label-free cell monitoring. This infrared surface plasmon sensor offers higher sensitivity for tracking cell responses to stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cell Biology
- Biosensing Technology
Background:
- Continuous monitoring of cell morphology is crucial for understanding cellular responses to stimuli.
- Existing biosensing methods often lack the sensitivity or real-time capabilities required for dynamic cellular studies.
- Label-free techniques are desirable to avoid interference with cellular processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel label-free infrared surface plasmon biosensor for real-time monitoring of cell morphological changes.
- To assess the performance of a double-chamber flow cell design for comparative cellular studies.
- To demonstrate the biosensor's capability in tracking cellular responses to specific stimuli, such as changes in extracellular calcium concentration.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an infrared surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor.
- Incorporated a double-chamber flow cell to divide a cell monolayer into treated and control sections.
- Performed experiments using IEC-18 cell cultures exposed to varying extracellular Ca2+ concentrations.
- Monitored real-time morphological changes in the cell layers.
Main Results:
- The double-chamber flow cell enabled simultaneous treatment and control of cell cultures.
- The biosensor successfully tracked the kinetic response of IEC-18 cells to extracellular Ca2+ variations.
- The developed method demonstrated an order of magnitude higher sensitivity compared to single-chamber biosensor configurations.
- Label-free, continuous monitoring of cellular morphological changes was achieved.
Conclusions:
- The double-chamber infrared surface plasmon biosensor is a sensitive and effective tool for label-free, continuous monitoring of cell culture responses.
- This innovative setup allows for precise investigation of cellular dynamics under various experimental conditions.
- The enhanced sensitivity offers significant advantages for studying subtle cellular morphological changes.
