Electrical cell-substrate impedance sensor (ECIS)

A method for detecting and monitoring a spreading stage of a biological cell for cancer diagnosis, the method comprising steps of:

• culturing a biological cell lines via maintaining the biological cell lines in an appropriate medium at a controlled set of conditions;
• seeding the cultured biological cells lines directly onto silicon nanowire electrode arrays of an electrical cell-substrate impedance sensor (ECIS), wherein:
• the ECIS includes a silicon dioxide layer that is coated with a catalyst layer, and the catalyst layer is patterned and etched to provide a patterned sensor region in which the silicon nanowire electrode arrays are disposed;
• applying an electrical voltage of approximately 400 mV to the biological cells attached to the silicon nanowire electrode arrays;
• and
• monitoring a reduction in impedance measured for a cancer cell line in comparison with substantially no change in impedance for a normal cell line during a spreading stage of cell growth, thereby permitting early cancer diagnosis, the monitoring including measuring an electrical impedance of the seeded biological cell lines to detect the spreading stage of the seeded biological cell lines for cancer diagnosis,
• wherein seeding the cultured biological cell lines includes steps of:
• dropping the cultured biological cell lines on a surface of a packed and scaled ECIS;
• and
• maintaining the dropped biological cell lines in an incubator to achieve attachment between the biological cell lines and the silicon nanowire electrode arrays of ECIS.