Research progress of integrating electrical impedance sensors with microfluidic chips in cell detection

Abstract:

Cell culture is a fundamental tool for cell-based assays in biological and preclinical research. The measurements of cell culture, including cell count, viability, and metabolic activity, can reflect the conditions of cells under culture conditions. The conventional cell culture and detection methods have problems such as high consumption of reagents and samples, inability to monitor cell status in real time, and difficulty in spatiotemporally adjusting the cell microenvironment. A cell impedance sensor measures changes in the electrical impedance of cells through alternating current, enabling real-time monitoring of impedance changes caused by cell activities such as attachment, growth, proliferation, and migration. Microfluidic chips are praised for reducing complex biological processes, integrating multiple analysis modes, and achieving high automation in detection. Integrating microfluidic chips with cell impedance sensors greatly improves the capability and efficiency of cell-related analysis. This review outlines the application of microfluidic chip-based impedance sensors in 2D and 3D cell systems and summarizes the research progress in application of such sensors in research on cell growth, proliferation, viability, metabolic activity, and drug screening. Finally, this review prospects the future development trends and possible challenges, providing ideas for the development of microfluidic chips integrated with electrical impedance sensors in drug screening.