Flexible Bioimpedance Sensor for Label-Free Detection of Cell Viability and Biomass

We introduce a flexible microfluidic bioimpedance sensor that is capable of detecting biomass and cell viability variations in a cell suspension. The sensor is developed on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate and is devoid of gold, silicon, PDMS, or glass. In conjugation with a custom built PCB read-out module, the impedance characteristics of a cell suspension can be measured within one minute of sample introduction using liquid volumes less than 5 μL. The portable sensor system occupies very little bench space and has the potential to be developed as a disposable electrical bioimpedance probe for rapid detection of dielectric variations in a biological suspension. The sensor is designed to generate a differential impedance spectra exclusive to a cell suspension with a dual-electrode-pair system. The potential of the sensor to discriminate between live and heat treated Saccharomyces cerevisiae is demonstrated in this study. The disposable sensor along with the distance variation technique is touted to be an inexpensive alternative to some of the existing online disposable biomass detection probes and electrochemical sensors.