title: Single-cell recording and stimulation with a 16k micro-nail electrode array integrated on a 0.18 μm CMOS chip.
abstract: To cope with the growing needs in research towards the understanding of cellular function and network dynamics, advanced micro-electrode arrays (MEAs) based on integrated complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits have been increasingly reported. Although such arrays contain a large number of sensors for recording and/or stimulation, the size of the electrodes on these chips are often larger than a typical mammalian cell. Therefore, true single-cell recording and stimulation remains challenging. Single-cell resolution can be obtained by decreasing the size of the electrodes, which inherently increases the characteristic impedance and noise. Here, we present an array of 16,384 active sensors monolithically integrated on chip, realized in 0.18 μm CMOS technology for recording and stimulation of individual cells. Successful recording of electrical activity of cardiac cells with the chip, validated with intracellular whole-cell patch clamp recordings are presented, illustrating single-cell readout capability. Further, by applying a single-electrode stimulation protocol, we could pace individual cardiac cells, demonstrating single-cell addressability. This novel electrode array could help pave the way towards solving complex interactions of mammalian cellular networks.
authors.affiliation: Imec vzw, Kapeldreef 75, 3001, Leuven, Belgium. huys@imec.be
authors.forename: Roeland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huys
authors.forename: Dries
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Braeken
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jans
authors.forename: Andim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stassen
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Collaert
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.forename: Josine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Loo
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Severi
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vleugels
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Callewaert
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Verstreken
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bartic
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Eberle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004566:Electrodes; D005260:Female; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012666:Semiconductors