IR-Light induced pyroelectric effect for cell cultures characterization

Cell counting has been extensively investigated over the years since it is a critical process for monitoring in-vitro experiments. It provides important information about cell health (e.g. viability, proliferation), and is a fundamental prerequisite during cell-based assays and for assessing data intercomparability. Although sophisticated automated devices are replacing the most dated manual counters, significant investigations are still carrying out for the development of innovative technologies (e.g. lab-on-a-chip manufacturing). Here is proposed a device designed to be minimal, and capable of analyzing a small volume sample in contact with a pyroelectric sensor, avoiding the presence of microfluidics for fluids delivery. The technique is based on light-induced pyroelectric effect for the analysis of cell cultures at different concentrations. Experimental results carried out on HepG2 human hepatoma cells indicated that the pyroelectric response is influenced by cell concentration due to its thermal properties. This result has been confirmed by drastically reducing cell viability, observing no significant variation in the induced response.