Innovative Drug Discovery and Nanotechnology  (Track)

MONITORING DYNAMICS OF BIOMOLECULES, DRUG CARRIERS, AND OF LIVING CELLS BY ORGANIC ELECTROCHEMICAL TRANSISTORS (OECT) TOWARDS INNOVATIVE BIOELECTRONICS

Salvatore Iannotta

IMEM-CNR Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism - National Research Council (CNR), Parco Area delle Scienze 37/A, 43124 Parma, Italy

Abstract

Organic Electrochemical Transistors (OECTs) are emerging as devices ideally suitable for biomedical sensing and bio-electronics [1-4]. We here show OECTs operating in bio-liquid environments sensing and monitoring biomolecules at high sensitivity. The devices, based on the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS, operating at low-voltages in liquids, confirm to be an ideal interface between electronics and biology [4].

In particular we will discuss our recent achievements in biosensing relevant for nanomedicine and drug delivery applications: detection and monitoring of drug-loaded liposomes and liposome-based nanoparticles [5] real time studies and analysis of redox properties of phase-responsive pigment biopolymers [6]. Finally we achieved the ability to directly study drug stress and death on cells cultivated on a Transwell membrane, directly integrated in the OECT. We will show the first observation of cellular death, induced by drugs and other chemical substances on normal and cancer cells, achieved by monitored the device output current that is sensitive to the cells death [7]. We hence propose and demonstrate a sensitive diagnostic device based on an Organic Electrochemical Transistor (OECT) for direct in-vitro monitoring cell death. The system efficiently monitors cell death dynamics, being able to detect signals related to specific death mechanisms, namely necrosis or early/late apoptosis, demonstrating a reproducible correlation between the OECT electrical response and the trends of standard cell death assays.These studies pave the way to OECTs as low cost and disposable devices for the monitoring drugs action dynamics.

Keywords: Bioelectronics, biosensing for pharmacology, therapy and biomedical applications, OECT.

REFERECNES

[1] N. Coppedè, G. Tarabella, M. Villani, D. Calestani, A. Zappettini, S. Iannotta. Human stress monitoring through an organic cotton-fiber biosensor, J. Mater. Chem. B 2 (34), (2014), 5620-5626.
[2] S. Iannotta, P. D Angelo, A. Romeo, G. Tarabella. Scalable and Flexible Bioelectronics and Its Applications to Medicine, in Large Area and Flexible Electronics (Wiley, 2015) 485-540.
[3] F. Gentile, N. Coppedè, G.Tarabella, M.Villani, D. Calestani, P. Candeloro, E. Di Fabrizio, S. Iannotta. Microtexturing of the Conductive PEDOT:PSS polymer for Super-hydrophobic Organic Electrochemical Transistors, BioMed research international 2014 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/ 302694).
[4] G. Tarabella, F. Mahvash Mohammadi, N. Coppedè, F. Barbero, S. Iannotta, C. Santato and F. Cicoira. New opportunities for organic electronics and bioelectronics: ions in action, Chemical Science, 2013, 4, 1395-1409.
[5] G. Tarabella et al. Liposomes Sensing and Monitoring by Organic Electrochemical Transistors Integrated in Microfluidics. Biochem. Biophys. Acta, 2013, 1830, 9, 4374-4380.
[6] G. Tarabella, A. Pezzella, A. Romeo, N. Coppedè, P. D’Angelo, M. Calicchio, M. d’Ischia, R. Mosca and S. Iannotta. Irreversible Evolution of Eumelanin Redox States Detected by an Organic Electrochemical Transistor: En Route to Bioelectronics and Biosensing. J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013, 1, 3843-3849.
[7] A Romeo, G Tarabella, P D’Angelo, C Caffarra, D Cretella, R Alfieri, P. G. Petronini, S. Iannotta Drug-induced cellular death dynamics monitored by a highly sensitive organic electrochemical system, Biosensors and Bioelectronics 68, (2015) 791-797.