Impedance based biosensor array for monitoring mammalian cell behavior

Functional genomic studies and drug candidate testing require tracking of cell activity with high throughput. Electrical impedance measurements on multiple electrodes are highly attractive in this application because of the potential for direct computer control. Impedance measurements over a wide range of frequency were performed on four sensing electrodes to study the mouse fibroblast cell behavior. We report the experimental observation of electrode impedance changes caused by cell growth and also the cell response to Protein Kinase Inhibitor (H-7) which affects cell attachments. The most notable signal is the peak magnitude of the normalized impedance change. The peak magnitude is related to the effective cell blockage which depends on the cell coverage, cell-substrate contacts and spaces. During cell growth we observed the peak magnitude increased over the time and saturated. Furthermore, by characterizing the peak magnitude we analyzed the effect of drug H-7 on the cell.