4th Annual Mountain West
Biomedical Engineering Conference
September 5-6, 2008
Abstract Details
Presented By: | Dittami, Greg |
Affiliated with: | University of Utah, Biomedical Engineering |
Authors: | Gregory M. Dittami, Sameera S. Dharia, Jeffrey J. Wyrick, Richard D. Rabbitt |
From: | University of Utah |
Title
Abstract
A microchip that facilitates electrical and electrochemical measurements of individual cells and cell clusters was fabricated using surface micromachining and thick film technologies. In the present study, the device was applied towards the detection of exocytotic events from electrically stimulated rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Using device microfluidics, cells were positioned in a microchamber over a 5 µm x 10 µm gold working electrode (WE). Channel dimensions (~10 µm deep x 10 µm wide) ensured a tight fit for the ~12 µm diameter PC12 cells in the chamber resulting in direct contact of the cell with the WE. This proximity allows for quantal resolution of catecholamine release events from the cells. Axially-opposed, independently addressable electrodes were used to apply sinusoidal extracellular electrical fields across cells for membrane depolarization. To facilitate interpretation of the stimulating electric field in relation to the cell and subsequent dopamine release, quasi-static electromagnetic FEM models were generated using COMSOL Multiphysics software. Upon depolarization, simultaneous chronoamperometric measurements at the WE confirmed stimulus-triggered dopamine release from the cells with a small subset of cells exhibiting release that modulated with the depolarizing cycle of the sinusoidal stimulus. It is anticipated that such a chip could provide a semi-automated alternative to the conventional, labor-intensive carbon fiber electrode (CFE) approach to neurotransmitter measurement.