Current-Driven Organic Electrochemical Transistors for Monitoring Cell Layer Integrity with Enhanced Sensitivity.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are utilized for biosensing applications, including impedance sensing of cell layers.
• Standard OECT configurations may require high gate bias, potentially causing electrolysis, especially for small impedance variations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an alternative current-driven OECT configuration for enhanced biosensing of cell layers.
• To improve ion-sensitivity and enable sensitive detection of cell layer integrity and drug effects.

Main Methods:

• Development of a current-driven OECT configuration to circumvent high gate bias and electrolysis.
• Utilizing an OECT-based complementary amplifier for further sensitivity enhancement.
• Demonstration using epithelial Caco-2 cell layers to monitor integrity and drug-induced modulation.

Main Results:

• The current-driven OECT exhibits high ion-sensitivity (>1200 mV V^-1 dec^-1) at low operating voltage.
• Enhanced sensitivity was observed compared to standard OECT configurations for monitoring cell layer integrity.
• Reversible tight junction modulation by drug additives (e.g., poly-l-lysine) was successfully monitored in situ.

Conclusions:

• The current-driven OECT is a sensitive biosensor for cell layer impedance analysis.
• This technology shows significant potential for in vitro and in vivo toxicological and drug delivery studies.
• The OECT biosensor offers a valuable tool for real-time monitoring of biological barriers and drug interactions.