Dual-Purpose Aptamer-Based Sensors for Real-Time, Multiplexable Monitoring of Metabolites in Cell Culture Media.

The availability of high-frequency, real-time measurements of the concentrations of specific metabolites in cell culture systems will enable a deeper understanding of cellular metabolism and facilitate the application of good laboratory practice standards in cell culture protocols. However, currently available approaches to this end either are constrained to single-time-point and single-parameter measurements or are limited in the range of detectable analytes. Electrochemical aptamer-based (EAB) biosensors have demonstrated utility in real-time monitoring of analytes in vivo in blood and tissues. Here, we characterize a pH-sensing capability of EAB sensors that is independent of the specific target analyte of the aptamer sequence. We applied this dual-purpose EAB to the continuous measurement of pH and phenylalanine in several in vitro cell culture settings. The miniature EAB sensor that we developed exhibits rapid response times, good stability, high repeatability, and biologically relevant sensitivity. We also developed and characterized a leak-free reference electrode that mitigates the potential cytotoxic effects of silver ions released from conventional reference electrodes. Using the resulting dual-purpose sensor, we performed hourly measurements of pH and phenylalanine concentrations in the medium superfusing cultured epithelial tumor cell lines (A549, MDA-MB-23) and a human fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) for periods of up to 72 h. Our scalable technology may be multiplexed for high-throughput monitoring of pH and multiple analytes in support of the broad metabolic qualification of microphysiological systems.

Plasmonic Colour Filters Based on Coaxial Holes in Aluminium.

Aluminum is an alternative plasmonic material in the visible regions of the spectrum due to its attractive properties such as low cost, high natural abundance, ease of processing, and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) and liquid crystal display (LCD) compatibility. Here, we present plasmonic colour filters based on coaxial holes in aluminium that operate in the visible range. Using both computational and experimental methods, fine-tuning of resonance peaks through precise geometric control of the coaxial holes is demonstrated. These results will lay the basis for the development of filters in high-resolution liquid crystal displays, RGB-spatial light modulators, liquid crystal over silicon devices and novel displays.