Novel in vitro models for pathogen detection based on organic transistors integrated with living cells.

• Main Author: Tria, Scherrine
• Language: ENG
• Published: Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Etienne 2013
• Subjects: [SPI:OTHER] Engineering Sciences/Other; [SPI:OTHER] Sciences de l'ingénieur/Autre; Organic bioelectronics; Toxicology; Barrier tissue; Tight junctions; Paracellular transport
• Online Access: http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00972057; http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/97/20/57/PDF/tria-scherrine-diff.pdf

In biological systems, different tissues have evolved to form a barrier. An example is the intestinal epithelium, consisting of a single layer of cells lining the wall of the stomach and colon. It restricts the passage of harmful chemicals or pathogens from the light into the tissue, while selectively absorbing the most nutrients, electrolytes and water are necessary for the host. Tight junctions are structures which limit the passage of the material through the space between the cells. The ability to measure the paracellular and transcellular transport is of vital importance because it provides a wealth of information on the state of the barrier, indicative of certain disease states , since the disruption or malfunction of the structures involved in the transport through the tissue barrier is often caused or is indicative of toxicity or disease. In addition, the degree of integrity of the barrier is a key indicator of the relevance of a particular model in vitro for use in toxicology and drug screening. The advent of organic electronics has created a unique opportunity to connect the worlds of electronics and biology, using devices such as organic electrochemical transistor (OECT), which provides a very sensitive way to detect ionic currents. These devices have unprecedented sensitivity in a format that can be mass produced at low cost.The purpose of this study was to integrate a monolayer of cells representative of the gastro intestinal barrier with OECTs , to create devices that detect disruptions of the barrier in a timely and sensitive manner. This technique was demonstrated to be at least as sensitive, but a higher speed than current techniques on the market