Sensors (Aug 2018)

Remote Cell Growth Sensing Using Self-Sustained Bio-Oscillations

  • Pablo Pérez,
  • Gloria Huertas,
  • Alberto Olmo,
  • Andrés Maldonado-Jacobi,
  • Juan A. Serrano,
  • María E. Martín,
  • Paula Daza,
  • Alberto Yúfera

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/s18082550
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 8
p. 2550

Abstract

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A smart sensor system for cell culture real-time supervision is proposed, allowing for a significant reduction in human effort applied to this type of assay. The approach converts the cell culture under test into a suitable “biological” oscillator. The system enables the remote acquisition and management of the “biological” oscillation signals through a secure web interface. The indirectly observed biological properties are cell growth and cell number, which are straightforwardly related to the measured bio-oscillation signal parameters, i.e., frequency and amplitude. The sensor extracts the information without complex circuitry for acquisition and measurement, taking advantage of the microcontroller features. A discrete prototype for sensing and remote monitoring is presented along with the experimental results obtained from the performed measurements, achieving the expected performance and outcomes.

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