Cell Culture Electronic Interfaces

Cell cultures have become increasingly significant for the scientific research, over the last years. While current methodologies have their advantages and limitations, there is a growing need for the development of advanced devices to monitor cell culture activity more effectively. This project aims of designing electronic acquisition systems to investigate the electrochemical activity of cells, enabling smart cell culture monitoring.

The collaboration with the Department of Drug Science and Technology and the Department of Physics of the University of Turin plays a pivotal role in this project. The former is responsible of the cell culture growth and conservation, while the latter produces innovative multielectrode arrays based on graphitic electrodes embedded in a diamond substrate, providing an advanced interface for measurements.

Our research group is involved in developing electronic systems and implementing the software for real-time monitoring and data processing of the cell culture signals. The current focus of the project revolves around two primary applications: potentiometric and amperometric acquisition from neurons cultivated on the diamond-based MEAs. By employing these techniques, the system can detect the electrochemical behavior, for the investigation of the neuron firing activity and the neurotransmitter release in physiological condition and under the effect of drugs or other chemicals.

Future steps involve the development of a multi-channel acquisition system capable of performing multiple electrochemical measurements and cell stimulation at the same time. Moreover, our research team is aiming to extend the system’s applications to different types of cell cultures.

In conclusion, this project has the potential to advance the current cell culture technology, providing a better understanding of cellular behaviour and response to different treatments for neurodegenerative disorders and other pathologies.

Keywords: Cell culture, MEAs, Electrochemical methods, Acquisition systems, Neuroscience