Mea-On-Cantilever – A Novel Multifunctional Device for Drug Toxicity Screening in Cardiomyocytes

This paper demonstrates an easy-to-use dual-function biosensor for real-time monitoring of drug-induced cardiac toxicity screening, by measuring both electrophysiology and mechanophysiology of drug-treated cardiomyocytes simultaneously. The proposed biosensor consists of a photosensitive polymer cantilever on which microelectrodes are patterned. Electrophysiology is measured by recording field potential using microelectrode array (MEA), and contractile motion is measured using cantilever deflection upon culturing of cardiomyocytes. This dual-function biosensor has been tested for its reliability for drug screening by adding Verapamil to the cell culture and assessing the outputs in synchrony. Field potential duration (FPD) reduced on increasing concentration (IC50=166.2 nM), as did contraction force (IC50=242.9 nM). This biosensor is a reliable next-generation device of drug toxicity screening.