Sensor Access to the Cellular Microenvironment Using the Sensing Cell Culture Flask

Jochen Kieninger,Gerald Urban,Yaara Tamari,Joe Sandvik,Erik Pettersen,Barbara Enderle,Gerhard Jobst

doi:10.3390/bios8020044

Jochen Kieninger, Gerald Urban + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/bios8020044

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Abstract

The Sensing Cell Culture Flask (SCCF) is a cell culture monitoring system accessing the cellular microenvironment in 2D cell culture using electrochemical microsensors. The system is based on microfabricated sensor chips embedded in standard cell culture flasks. Ideally, the sensor chips could be equipped with any electrochemical sensor. Its transparency allows optical inspection of the cells during measurement. The surface of the sensor chip is in-plane with the flask surface allowing undisturbed cell growth on the sensor chip. A custom developed rack system allows easy usage of multiple flasks in parallel within an incubator. The presented data demonstrates the application of the SCCF with brain tumor (T98G) and breast cancer (T-47D) cells. Amperometric oxygen sensors were used to monitor cellular respiration with different incubation conditions. Cellular acidification was accessed with potentiometric pH sensors using electrodeposited iridium oxide films. The system itself provides the foundation for electrochemical monitoring systems in 3D cell culture.

Highlights

Behavior of cells or their response to specific molecules can be studied by isolating cells from organisms and culturing in an artificial environment
In this paper we describe the fabrication of the Sensing Cell Culture Flask (SCCF) sensor chips, the system design and its application in cell culture experiments with oxygen and pH sensors as typical representatives for amperometric and potentiometric measurements
We report the potentials in terms of the Reversible Hydrogen Electrode (RHE) scale taking into account the pH

Summary

Introduction

Behavior of cells or their response to specific molecules can be studied by isolating cells from organisms and culturing in an artificial environment. While cells have been kept alive in vitro and researched for more than a century, the monitoring of cellular microenvironment is lagging behind the progress in cell culturing techniques. This is important because cell culture monitoring of metabolic parameters is an essential tool to ensure reproducible culture conditions. One of the first chip-based cell culture monitoring systems of this type was based on the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) [1,2]. These works led at the beginning of the 1990s to the commercial

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