Live demonstration: In-situ biosensors array for cell culture monitoring

Standard pharmaceutical processes involving cell lines are generally monitored by expensive and time consuming laboratory testing by direct sampling of the culture media to evaluate cell state and quality. Conversely to standard off-line measurements, in this work we propose a novel miniaturized biosensor array to detect glucose and lactate in-situ and on-line. The electrochemical biosensors are accomplished by standard microfabrication technologies. A mixture of carbon nanotubes and oxidases are precisely and selectively placed on top of the working electrodes. An ad-hoc and low-noise electronics was developed on a printed circuit board to perform the electrochemical measurements and to read the current generated by the electrochemical reaction. An Android application was developed to display the measurements by Bluetooth communication. The developed device paves the way to novel and more effective opportunities to improve pharmaceutical manufacturing, quality assurance, and process optimization.