Electric cell-substrate impedance sensing in cancer research: An in-depth exploration of impedance sensing for profiling cancer cell behavior

Impedance assessment in living biological cells has gained popularity as a label-free, real-time, and quantitative analytical approach for determining cellular states. Electric cell substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) provides valuable insights into cell adhesion, the intricate interactions between cells and their underlying substrate, and cellular communication. Further, the ECIS method's high sensitivity enables the observation of biological events at the single-cell level and the precise determination of cell-substrate distances at the nanoscale. Importantly, using cellular electrical properties as a valuable marker, ECIS can shed light on how cancer cells proliferate, migrate, and invade. In this article, we discuss electric cell-substrate impedance sensing as it relates to electrode design, manufacturing, and application in impedance measurement. The present review also outlines our current understanding of the advantages of ECIS in studying cancer cell behavior and drug screening and their prospective future modifications. Impedance-sensing approaches in biology have many potential applications, including point-of-need diagnostics, highly specialized devices, and seamless integration. In summary, this impedance-based technology might one day be an attractive diagnostic tool in cancer research.