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Electric Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing for the Quantification of Endothelial Proliferation, Barrier Function, and Motility
Published on: March 28, 2014
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Stretchable impedance sensor for mammalian cell proliferation measurements
Xudong Zhang1, William Wang, Fang Li
1The City College of New York, Mechanical Engineering Department, USA. voicules@ccny.cuny.edu.
Lab on a Chip
|May 18, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a novel stretchable biosensor using electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This device enables real-time monitoring of cell proliferation under mechanical strain, mimicking dynamic biological environments.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cell Biology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Cell-based assays often use endpoint measurements, limiting dynamic cellular mechanism insights.
- Mechanobiology research requires methods to study cell behavior under mechanical stimuli.
- Existing methods lack the ability to simulate dynamic physiological environments for cell studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and test a novel stretchable electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) lab on a chip device.
- To enable real-time, label-free monitoring of mammalian cells exposed to cyclic strain.
- To investigate cell proliferation and behavior in response to dynamic mechanical stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of ECIS electrodes on a stretchable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate.
- Performing ECIS measurements on bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) under cyclic strain.
- Utilizing fluorescence-based cell proliferation assays for validation.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the first fabrication of ECIS electrodes on a stretchable PDMS substrate.
- Successfully performed ECIS measurements on mammalian cells under cyclic strain.
- Confirmed real-time analysis of BAEC proliferation using the stretchable ECIS sensors.
Conclusions:
- The novel stretchable ECIS biosensor effectively simulates dynamic biological environments in vitro.
- The device allows for simultaneous mechanical stimulation, cell proliferation analysis, and cell number/density determination.
- This technology advances cell mechanobiology research by providing real-time insights into cellular responses to mechanical stimuli.
