Design and validation of a multi-electrode bioimpedance system for enhancing spatial resolution of cellular impedance studies

Abstract

This paper reports the design and evaluation of a multi-electrode design that improves upon the statistical significance and spatial resolution of cellular impedance data measured using commercial electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) systems. By evaluating cellular impedance using eight independent sensing electrodes, position-dependent impedance measurements can be recorded across the device and compare commonly used equivalent circuit and mathematical models for extraction of cell parameters. Data from the 8-electrode device was compared to data taken from commercial electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) system by deriving a relationship between equivalent circuit and mathematically modelled parameters. The impedance systems were evaluated and compared by investigating the effects of arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃), a well-established chemotherapeutic agent, on ovarian cancer cells. Impedance spectroscopy, a non-destructive, label-free technique, was used to continuously measure the frequency-dependent cellular properties, without adversely affecting the cells. The importance of multiple measurements within a cell culture was demonstrated; and the data illustrated that the non-uniform response of cells within a culture required redundant measurements in order to obtain statistically significant data, especially for drug discovery applications. Also, a correlation between equivalent circuit modelling and mathematically modelled parameters was derived, allowing data to be compared across different modelling techniques.