NanoIEA: A Nanopatterned Interdigitated Electrode Array-based Impedance Assay for Real-time Measurement of Aligned Endothelial Cell Barrier Functions

Authors: Jong Seob Choi, Hyun Myung Doo, Byunggik Kim, Su Han Lee, Sang-keun Sung, Gwangjun Go, Allister Suarez, Yeseul Kim, Byung Mook Weon, Byung-Ok Choi, Hyung Jin Kim, Deok-Ho Kim

Advanced Healthcare Materials, 11 Oct 2023

Scientists use Axion’s Maestro Edge with Impedance Module to evaluate barrier function of endothelial cells on an experimental nanopatterned substrate in vitro.

TEER (trans-epithelial/endothelial electrical resistance) is a well-established method used to evaluate cell barrier integrity and permeability in vitro, but conventional assays “do not recapitulate highly aligned endothelial structures and physiologically-relevant barrier functions within in vivo models.” In this study, scientists use nanopatterning to improve adhesion and alignment of endothelial cells (ECs) for a more physiologically relevant model of endothelial barrier function. To evaluate TEER/barrier function of ECs on the experimental substrate in vitro, the team nanopatterned Axion’s CytoView-Z plates and used Axion’s hands-free Maestro Edge system with Impedance Module.

Overall, the researchers report that the nanopatterned interdigitated electrode array (nanoIEA)-based impedance assay with a bioinspired poly (L-DOPA) coating offers a promising platform for high-throughput, quantitative measurement of aligned endothelial cell barrier functions, and that the proposed approach “significantly increased cell–cell tightness of in vitro ECs by enhancing the expression of junctional proteins.”