Organic Electrochemical Transistors: Smart Devices for Real‐Time Monitoring of Cellular Vitality

Abstract Current technologies to monitor formation and disruption in in vitro cell cultures are based either on optical techniques or on electrical impedance/resistance measurement, which often rely on cumbersome and time‐consuming measurements and data analyses. In this paper, poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)‐based organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are proposed with channel areas specifically designed and dimensioned as fast and real‐time monitoring devices for a large variety of cell lines, with a broad range of tissue resistance. In particular, it is investigated how and why two device configurations provide a different response to leaky‐barrier (NIH‐3T3) and strong‐barrier (CaCo‐2) cell lines growth and detachment, achieving a continuous monitoring also for leaky‐barrier cell layer growth and detachment. Data are collected using the transistor dynamic behavior to a DC potential pulse on the gate, providing an excellent time resolution and thus enhancing the amount of information that can be collected for fast biological processes (<5 s).