Magnetoelastic Monitoring System for Tracking Growth of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

Magnetoelastic sensors, which undergo mechanical resonance when interrogated with magnetic fields, can be functionalized to measure various physical quantities and chemical/biological analytes by tracking their resonance behaviors. The unique wireless and functionalizable nature of these sensors makes them good candidates for biological sensing applications, from the detection of specific bacteria to tracking force loading inside the human body. In this study, we evaluate the viability of magnetoelastic sensors based on a commercially available magnetoelastic material (Metglas 2826 MB) for wirelessly monitoring the attachment and growth of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) in 2D in vitro cell culture. The results indicate that the changes in sensor resonance are linearly correlated with cell quantity. Experiments using a custom-built monitoring system also demonstrated the ability of this technology to collect temporal profiles of cell growth, which could elucidate key stages of cell proliferation based on acute features in the profile. Additionally, there was no observed change in the morphology of cells after they were subjected to magnetic and mechanical stimuli from the monitoring system, indicating that this method for tracking cell growth may have minimal impact on cell quality and potency.