Microfluidic impedance sensing distinguishes cancer cell states: A step towards point-of-care diagnostics

Abstract

In this study, we employed a custom microfluidic sensor to measure the electrical impedance of cancer cells, aiming to differentiate between suspension and adherent phenotypes. We investigated three suspension cell lines—JeKo-1, MM-1R, and Maver-1—representing hematological malignancies, and two adherent breast cancer cell lines—MDA-MB-231 and MDA- MB-468. The impedance measurements revealed significant differences corresponding to the cells’ growth patterns. Suspension cells exhibited lower median impedance values compared to adherent cells, likely due to variations in cell size, complexity, and membrane properties. Suspension cells, being smaller and less structurally complex, demonstrated reduced impedance, whereas adherent cells, which are larger and form stronger surface attachments, displayed higher impedance values. These findings highlight the potential of electrical impedance as a tool for distinguishing cancer cell types. To further validate these results, we propose focusing on the transition of a single cancer cell type between adherent and suspension states, simulating in vitro cancer proliferation conditions. This approach will provide a deeper understanding of how electrical properties evolve during this transition and may offer insights into distinguishing between benign and metastatic cancers or assessing metastatic stages. The observed reduction in impedance during the adherent-to-suspension transition supports the potential diagnostic utility of this method. Overall, this study demonstrates that electrical impedance provides a rapid, label-free approach for enhancing cancer cell diagnostics based on distinct electrical characteristics.