Air Quality Monitoring using a Whole-Cell based Sensor System

Abstract

In this work, a novel whole-cell based biosensor for the detection of toxic substances in air was established. Due to their basic necessity of liquid environment, cell-based biosensors were underrepresented in the field of gas sensors in the last decades. The adaption of a commercial sensor chip (Bionas®) for the measurement of pollutants in liquids enables the direct exposure of cells with air. Cells of the respiration tract (A549, RPMI2650, V79), which tend to survive at a gas phase, are used as biological receptors. Three physiological cell parameters are monitored continuously in parallel (acidification, respiration, morphology). Water insoluble gases (e.g. CO) as well as water soluble gases (e.g. NH3) were used as model gases to test the feasibility of the novel sensor system. MIR- measurements proofed the reproducibility of the draining method. This sensor system provides a basis for many sensing applications such as environmental monitoring, building technology and public security.