Measuring fluorescence-lifetime and bio-impedance sensors for cell based assays using a network analyzer integrated circuit

Cell culture assays for therapeutic drug screening today are fully automated. Vitality of the cells is monitored by different sensors. For such a system, we propose a new reader unit, which is capable of reading two different fluorescent sensors and electrical impedance in 24-well-plates. Main goals are to reduce cost, complexity and size while achieving a similar performance as the existing reader unit. To achieve this, measurement electronics and signal paths for frequency domain fluorescence and bio-impedance measurement are combined. Central component is an integrated circuit for impedance spectroscopy. A new compact and economic optical setup is developed to read two different sensor spots on the bottom of the well. Measurement errors introduced by different components like DFT leakage, and frequency dependent signal delays are evaluated and compensated. A set of commercially available fluorescence sensor spots is used to verify the read out performance. The results are usable, with noise slightly higher than commercial readers. To verify the impedance measurement accuracy, measurements of known resistances are conducted. In the relevant impedance and frequency range for biological applications a suitable accuracy is achieved. Due to the higher sampling rate of the new reader, the higher noise can be reduced through averaging. The new system is significantly smaller and cheaper to manufacture than commercially available devices.