Transparent Graphene Interfaces for Capacitive Recordings from hiPSC-Derived Cardiomyocyte Monolayers: A...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Cardiology

Background:

• Transparent conductive interfaces are crucial for advanced cell monitoring.
• Integrating optical and electrophysiological assessments offers comprehensive analysis.
• Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) are vital for cardiac research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate graphene electrodes as transparent conductive interfaces for cardiac cell electrophysiology.
• To assess the compatibility of graphene with capacitive recording platforms for hiPSC-CM monolayers.
• To explore the potential for combined optical pre-assessment and label-free electrophysiological recording.

Main Methods:

• Culturing hiPSC-CM monolayers on monolayer graphene sensors.
• Utilizing a capacitive recording platform for electrophysiological analysis.
• Performing optical microscopy for pre-assessment of cell monolayers.
• Applying a descriptive perturbation sequence with dofetilide.

Main Results:

• Confluent, synchronously beating hiPSC-CM monolayers were formed on graphene sensors.
• Capacitive current transients were successfully recorded from hiPSC-CM monolayers.
• Recording performance was influenced by cell-sensor interface properties.
• Changes in waveform morphology and beat timing were observed following dofetilide application, though not quantitatively characterized.

Conclusions:

• Graphene serves as a viable transparent conductive interface for cardiac cell sensing.
• Cell-substrate interactions significantly impact recording performance.
• Combined optical and capacitive recording holds promise for integrated cardiac cell analysis workflows.
• Further research is needed to optimize interface conditions for reproducible recordings.