A system for cell-culture real-time monitoring using an Oscillation-Based (OB) approach is proposed. The system transforms a Cell-Culture Under Test (CCUT) into a suitable "biological" oscillator, without needing complex circuitry for excitation and measurement. The obtained oscillation parameters are directly related to biological test, owed to an empirically extracted cell-electrode electrical model. A discrete prototype is proposed and experimental results with living cell culture are presented, achieving the expected performances.

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An alternative approach for cell-culture end-point protocols is proposed herein. This new technique is suitable for real-time remote sensing. It is based on Electrical Cell-substrate Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) and employs the Oscillation-Based Test (OBT) method. Simple and straightforward circuit blocks form the basis of the proposed measurement system. Oscillation parameters – frequency and amplitude – constitute the outcome, directly correlated with the culture status. A user can remotely track the evolution of cell cultures in real time over the complete experiment through a web tool continuously displaying the acquired data. Experiments carried out with commercial electrodes and a well-established cell line (AA8) are described, obtaining the cell number in real time from growth assays. The electrodes have been electrically characterized along the design flow in order to predict the system performance and the sensitivity curves. Curves for 1-week cell growth are reported. The obtained experimental results validate the proposed OBT for cell-culture characterization. Furthermore, the proposed electrode model provides a good approximation for the cell number and the time evolution of the studied cultures.