Multiparametric microsensor chips for screening applications

• Published in: Fresenius' journal of analytical chemistry 2001-01, Vol.369 (1), p.30
• Main Authors: Ehret, R, Baumann, W, Brischwein, M, Lehmann, M, Henning, T, Freund, I, Drechsler, S, Friedrich, U, Hubert, M L, Motrescu, E, Kob, A, Palzer, H, Grothe, H, Wolf, B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biocompatible Materials; Biosensing Techniques - methods; Electric Impedance; Epithelial Cells - physiology; Glycolysis; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Miniaturization; Oxygen Consumption; Protein Kinase C - metabolism; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate - pharmacology; Tight Junctions - physiology; Tumor Cells, Cultured
• ISSN: 0937-0633
• DOI: 10.1007/s002160000628

The identification of drug targets for pharmaceutical screening can be greatly accelerated by gene databases and expression studies. The identification of leading compounds from growing libraries is realized by high throughput screening platforms. Subsequently, for optimization and validation of identified leading compounds studies of their functionality have to be carried out, and just these functionality tests are a limiting factor. A rigorous preselection of identified compounds by in vitro cellular screening is necessary prior to using the drug candidates for the further time consuming and expensive stage, e.g. in animal models. Our efforts are focused to the parallel development, adaptation and integration of different microelectronic sensors into miniaturized biochips for a multiparametric, functional on-line analysis of living cells in physiologically environments. Parallel and on-line acquisition of data related to different cellular targets is required for advanced stages of drug screening and for economizing animal tests.