Electrical cell-substrate impedance sensor (ECIS)

A method for detection and monitoring a therapeutic effect of a cancer treatment drug, the method comprising steps of:

• providing biological cells;
• culturing the biological cells in a controlled set of conditions;
• growing a layer of silicon dioxide on a substrate layer;
• coating one or more portions of the grown silicon dioxide layer with a catalyst layer, wherein one or more portions of the grown silicon dioxide layer are not coated with the catalyst layer, thereby patterning the catalyst layer to form a sensor region on the substrate layer;
• selectively growing a plurality of silicon nanowire electrode arrays on the portions of the silicon dioxide layer that have been coated with the catalyst layer and forming an electrical cell-substrate impedance sensor (ECIS);
• seeding the cultured biological cells onto a surface of the grown silicon nanowire electrode arrays such that the biological cells become attached to the silicon nanowire electrode arrays;
• adding a cancer treatment drug to the seeded biological cell lines to treat the seeded biological cells, wherein the cancer treatment drug is an antitubulin drug that interferes with proliferation of a cancerous cell and causes cell apoptosis;
• and
• measuring an electrical impedance of the treated biological cells for detection and monitoring of a therapeutic effect of the cancer treatment drug,
• wherein adding the treatment drug includes:
• adding a specific amount of the treatment drug to the biological cells that are attached to the silicon nanowire electrode arrays, and
• maintaining the biological cells with the added treatment drug in an incubator for a specific time interval.