Conductive Polymer Microelectrodes for on-chip measurement of transmitter release from living cells

In this paper, we present techniques to trap a group of neuronal cells (PC 12) close to band microelectrodes and quantitatively measure cellular transmitter release. Different trapping approaches were investigated including coating of electrodes by layers enhancing cell attachment and by pressure driven cell trapping inside closed chip devices.

Conductive polymer microelectrodes were used to measure transmitter release using electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry and constant potential amperometry. By measuring the oxidation current at a cyclic voltammogram, the concentration of released transmitter molecules could be estimated.