Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät

Institut für Biowissenschaften

Fachgebiet: Biophysik

Betreuer: Prof. Dr. Jan Gimsa



Diplom-Biologe Philipp Julian Köster
(e-mail: philipp.koester@uni-rostock.de )

Biochips for the Detection of Biological Cell Potentials

The thesis deals with applications of three biochip types with integrated microelectrodes developed at the Chair of Biophysics, University of Rostock.

Action potentials (APs) were detected from electrically active cell-networks, cultured on biochips with planar microelec-trodes. These chips were used to investigate the effects of UMTS-EMF (with neurons cultured on silicon neurochips) and biochemically active substances (with neurons or cardiomyocytes cultured on glass neurochips).

Prototypes of chips for the new PoreGenic® system with 3D-electrodes were applied in detecting cardiac APs and the transmembrane potential of fibroblasts. Polymer patterns and dielectrophoretic neuron allocation were tested as means for cell growth control and for increasing the AP yield, respectively. Fluorescence microscopy and FIB SEM images were used to investigate the cell-electrode interaction.