A Multimodal and Multifunctional CMOS Cellular Interfacing Array for Digital Physiology and Pathology Featuring an...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Microtechnology

Background:

• Advanced cellular and tissue characterization requires high-resolution, multimodal analytical tools.
• Existing technologies often lack the integration and throughput needed for comprehensive biophysical measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a fully integrated multimodal and multifunctional CMOS biosensing/actuating array chip for multi-dimensional cellular/tissue characterization.
• To enable high-throughput, single-cell resolution physiological measurements and stimulation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a CMOS chip in a 130nm BiCMOS process with 21,952 addressable pixels.
• Integration of three sensing modalities (voltage recording, optical detection, impedance sensing) and one actuating modality (biphasic current stimulation) per pixel.
• Utilized unique post-CMOS fabrication for biocompatible, reliable on-chip electrodes.

Main Results:

• The chip supports 1,568 parallel readout channels and individually addressable pixels.
• Demonstrated multimodal physiological measurements (voltage, optical, impedance) and stimulation (current) with high throughput and single-cell resolution.
• Successful biological testing with human and mouse progenitor cells, acquiring multidimensional biophysical data.

Conclusions:

• The developed CMOS biosensing/actuating chip offers a powerful platform for comprehensive cellular characterization.
• The system's high integration, throughput, and multimodal capabilities pave the way for advanced research in cell biology and tissue engineering.
• The fabrication process ensures high yield, biocompatibility, and measurement reliability for long-term studies.