There is a great demand for non-invasive tools, of quick response, and high
precision for the diagnosis of diseases. The methods used for the diagnosis of
malignant cancers have shown limitations such as low sensitivity/specificity, long test
times, invasive procedures, and expensive equipment. In this context, the immense
potential of biosensors in terms of simplicity of operation, greater sensitivity, capacity
for inclusion in integrated systems and low cost, makes them a very attractive option
for their implementation in the field of medical diagnosis.
Devices based on the measurement of electrochemical impedance have shown
great potential for the study of cell adhesion. Among its advantage it stands out it is
possible to monitor changes in a label-free, instantaneous and non-destructive manner.
However, most of the sensors developed in this field are limited to the use of surfaces
with a non-homogeneous distribution of ligands on a molecular scale. The main
disadvantage of these approaches is that the cellular response can only be investigated
based on the average surface concentration of the adhesive ligands. This makes them
unsuitable to measure on the scale of length at which cell adhesion events occur.
Our approach is based on the development of nanostructured microelectrodes
capable of imitating different properties of the cellular environment to be used in
biomedical applications and diagnostic devices. Monitoring adhesive interactions in
real time is of vital importance to study the effect of different chemical and physical
stimuli on cellular behavior. Cells can perceive and respond to external features of
their environment on the nanometer scale with remarkable sensitivity. Electrodes with
a geometrically controlled positioning of nanoparticles provide a homogeneous
distribution of adhesive ligands and allow the study of cellular adhesion events at the
nanoscale. On the other hand, the cellular behavior strongly depends on the rigidity of
the substrate, therefore, it is essential to develop electrodes of variable rigidity.
Results corresponding to the design and physicochemical characterization of
nanostructured microelectrodes are presented.

Design and creation of nanostructured microelectrodes to study cell adhesion processes

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