Real-time monitoring of epithelial barrier function by impedance spectroscopy in a microfluidic platform
João Fernandes, Nikita Karra, Joel Bowring, Riccardo Reale, Jonathan James, Cornelia Blume, Theresa J. Pell, Wendy C. Rowan, Donna E. Davies, Emily J. Swindle, Hywel Morgan
Abstract
(gastrointestinal cells) by day 5. The utility of the polarized airway epithelial barrier was demonstrated using a 24 hour challenge with double stranded RNA to mimic viral infection. This caused a rapid decrease in barrier integrity in association with disruption of tight junctions, whereas simultaneous treatment with a corticosteroid reduced this effect. The platform is able to measure barrier integrity in real-time and is scalable, thus has the potential to be used for drug development and testing.
Topics & Concepts
Barrier functionTight junctionMicrofluidicsMaterials scienceElectrical impedanceDielectric spectroscopyBiomedical engineeringChemistryBiophysicsNanotechnologyCell biologyBiologyMedicineElectrodeElectrical engineeringEngineeringElectrochemistryPhysical chemistryBiochemistry3D Printing in Biomedical ResearchBarrier Structure and Function StudiesMicrofluidic and Bio-sensing Technologies