Self-referencing optrode technology for non-invasive real-time measurement of biophysical flux and physiological sensing

摘要

Vibrating probe technology has enabled scientific investigations that have expanded our knowledgenof form and function in biology, but the emergence of new fields of cytomics and physiomics willnrequire new technologies to probe the functional realm of living cells. In this paper, we presentnthe development of a self-referencing optrode, which represents the next generation of biophysical fluxnsensors based on phase-sensitive detection for cell and tissue physiology. One key advantage is thatnoptical approaches do not suffer from the inherent electrical artifacts which limit the performancenof traditional vibrating, or self-referencing probe technology. In self-referencing modality, the optrodenis oscillated (0.1 Hz) between two points a few microns apart in a concentration gradient, convertingnthe optrodic oxygen concentration sensor into a dynamic flux sensor, based on Fick’s law. Because ofnthe inherent noise and drift filtering associated with phase-sensitive detection it is now possible tonmeasure pico-molar flux levels using a micro-optrode. In this paper, we show the calibration,ncharacterization and application of the self-referencing oxygen optrode for measuring biophysicalnoxygen flux.