Spatial trans-epithelial electrical resistance (S-TEER) integrated in organs-on-chips

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Transepithelial/transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) is a standard assay for tissue barrier integrity.
• Current TEER systems in organ-on-a-chip devices lack spatial resolution, providing only average permeability values.
• Localized barrier information is crucial for understanding cellular processes and drug responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a spatial-TEER (S-TEER) organ-on-a-chip platform for localized barrier integrity measurements.
• To demonstrate the system's capability in monitoring cellular growth and tissue responses in vitro.
• To assess the platform's utility in studying agents that impact tissue barrier function.

Main Methods:

• Development of an organ-on-a-chip platform with integrated scanning electrodes for TEER measurements.
• Utilizing the S-TEER system to measure electrical resistance at specific locations within cell cultures.
• Characterizing tissue barrier response to TNF-α and EGTA using the S-TEER platform.

Main Results:

• The S-TEER system successfully obtained localized permeability measurements in selected regions.
• Higher permeability was observed in areas with lower cell density, indicating potential for monitoring in vitro cellular growth.
• The platform effectively characterized tissue responses to TNF-α and EGTA, confirming its utility in barrier function studies.

Conclusions:

• The spatial-TEER organ-on-a-chip platform enables precise, localized assessment of tissue barrier integrity.
• This technology offers a novel tool for monitoring cellular growth dynamics and evaluating the impact of various agents on barrier function.
• S-TEER technology advances the capabilities of organ-on-a-chip systems for in vitro tissue modeling and drug discovery.