Non-invasive action potential recordings using printed electrolyte-gated polymer field-effect transistors

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Action potentials (APs) are crucial for excitable cell function.
• Current AP recording methods like patch clamp are invasive and low-throughput.
• Existing non-invasive techniques lack accuracy for disease and drug studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable, high-throughput, and non-invasive platform for recording cellular action potentials.
• To enable accurate measurements of disease states and drug effects on excitable cells.
• To improve the efficiency of disease diagnosis and drug discovery.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an inkjet-printed polymer semiconductor in an Electrolyte-Gated Field-Effect Transistor (EGFET) configuration.
• Developed a novel non-invasive method for recording APs from human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.
• Demonstrated high sensitivity through detection of drug-induced membrane potential oscillations.

Main Results:

• Achieved reliable, non-invasive recording of APs with patch clamp-like quality.
• Successfully detected drug-induced pro-arrhythmic membrane potential oscillations (early/delayed afterdepolarizations).
• Showcased the potential for significantly higher throughput compared to traditional methods.

Conclusions:

• The developed EGFET platform offers a promising non-invasive alternative for AP recording.
• This technology can accelerate disease modeling, drug screening, and safety pharmacology.
• Enhances the study of abiotic/biotic interfaces with excitable cells.