US 12,409,452 B2
Micro-bioelectrochemical cell devices and methods of detecting electron flows
John Mark Meacham, St. Louis, MO (US); Arpita Bose, St. Louis, MO (US); Michael Binkley, St. Louis, MO (US); and Karthikeyan Rengasamy, St. Louis, MO (US)
Assigned to Washington University, St. Louis, MO (US)
Filed by Washington University, St. Louis, MO (US)
Filed on Sep. 28, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/476,837.
Application 18/476,837 is a division of application No. 16/776,496, filed on Jan. 29, 2020, granted, now 11,944,964.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/798,001, filed on Jan. 29, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0024869 A1, Jan. 25, 2024
Int. Cl. B01L 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/502715 (2013.01) [B01L 2300/0645 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0861 (2013.01); B01L 2300/12 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of detecting or measuring interactions of cells with an electrically charged surface, the method comprising:
providing a micro-bioelectrochemical cell (μ-BEC) device, the μ-BEC device comprising a plurality of chambers, each chamber of the plurality of chambers enclosing a volume ranging from about 1 μL to about 1.6 μL, wherein the device comprises:
a support layer comprising a support contact surface, wherein at least a portion of the contact surface is coated with a working electrode layer;
a microfluidics layer comprising opposed first and second surfaces and containing a plurality of wells formed therethrough; and
an electrical layer comprising an electrical contact layer, a plurality of counter electrodes positioned on the electrical contact layer and a plurality of reference electrodes positioned on the electrical contact layer, wherein:
the first surface is bonded to the support contact surface and the second surface is bonded to the electrical contact layer in alignment to form the plurality of chambers, each chamber comprising one well sealed between one portion of the working electrode layer and one portion of the electrical layer containing one counter electrode and one reference electrode;
the one portion of the working electrode layer, the one counter electrode, and the one reference electrode are in electrical contact with each chamber of the plurality of chambers;
at least one or more chambers from the plurality of chambers is microfluidically connected to another chamber from the plurality of chambers; and
the support layer and the working electrode layer are transparent to provide for simultaneous electrochemical measurements and imaging of the volumes enclosed within each chamber of the plurality of chambers;
introducing a plurality of cells into the plurality of chambers to attach a portion of the plurality of cells to each working electrode; and
measuring electron flow or current density within each chamber of the plurality of chambers.