<em>In Vitro</em> Multiparametric Cellular Analysis by Micro Organic Charge-modulated Field-effect Transistor Arrays

Abstract

Modern electrophysiology has been constantly fueled by the parallel development of increasingly sophisticated tools and materials. In turn, discoveries in this field have driven technological progress in a back-and-forth process that ultimately determined the impressive achievements of the past 50 years. However, the most employed devices used for cellular interfacing (namely, the microelectrode arrays and microelectronic devices based on transistors) still present several limitations such as high cost, the rigidity of the materials, and the presence of an external reference electrode. To partially overcome these issues, there have been developments in a new scientific field called organic bioelectronics, resulting in advantages such as lower cost, more convenient materials, and innovative fabrication techniques.Several interesting new organic devices have been proposed during the past decade to conveniently interface with cell cultures. This paper presents the protocol for the fabrication of devices for cellular interfacing based on the organic chargemodulated field-effect transistor (OCMFET). These devices, called micro OCMFET arrays (MOAs), combine the advantages of organic electronics and the peculiar features of the OCMFET to prepare transparent, flexible, and reference-less tools with which it is possible to monitor both the electrical and the metabolic activities of cardiomyocytes and neurons in vitro, thus allowing a multiparametric evaluation of electrogenic cell models.

Simultaneous recording of electrical and metabolic activity of cardiac cells in vitro using an organic charge modulated field effect transistor array

“…TIPS-pentacene) by drop casting. A more detailed description of the fabrication protocol can be found in a recent publication from this group ( Spanu and Annalisa, 2021b ). The cross section of a MOA device for the simultaneous recording of cellular metabolic and electrical activity is shown in Figure 1A .…”

Manipulating Strain in Transistors: From Mechanically Sensitive to Insensitive

“…The transformation of mechanical stimuli to electrical signals portrays a bright future for intelligent sensing systems toward auxiliary perceptions using flexible electronics. [ 112 ] Electronic skins, for instance, by incorporating strain‐sensitive FET units, can mimic some of the human skin sensory functions, such as detecting the poster changes of the joints of robotic arms or prostheses, [ 33b ] collecting tactile information, [ 14,24 ] and strain distributions of surface deformation of artificially soft manipulators. [ 99b ] The information can provide in situ monitoring of devices, which is significant for the close‐loop control.…”

Organic Bioelectronics Development in Italy: A Review

“…At the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and University of Ferrara, researchers have focused on developing new materials and techniques for neuromorphic devices for label-free dopamine detection [ 9 ] and for in vivo electrophysiological signal studies [ 10 ]. Researchers from the University of Cagliari are instead developing new biosensors and devices for cellular analysis [ 11 ]. At the Polytechnics of Milano and Torino, researchers have been involved in the development of advanced technologies for new chip design and functionality [ 12 ] and for integration and sensing in microfluidic systems [ 13 ].…”