Understanding the electrical properties of barrier tissues is crucial for deciphering their physiological functions and pathological conditions. These tissues, such as epithelial and endothelial layers, play critical roles in regulating the transport of ions, nutrients, and signaling molecules. By quantifying membrane-specific resistances, capacitances, and potentials, researchers gain valuable insights into epithelial development, barrier integrity, and disease progression. 

However, current commercial setups fall short in providing comprehensive data, often oversimplifying complex electrical properties into a few parameters like trans-epithelial resistance (TER) and trans-epithelial potential (TEP). While some academic techniques exist for evaluating membrane-specific properties, they tend to be invasive or depend on chemical compound intervention. Additionally, these methods are often low-throughput and demand highly trained operators. These limitations hamper researchers' capability to obtain high-quality data for assessing epithelial cell health, maturation, and drug response. 

Scientists at the NEI have developed a novel device to overcome these challenges by offering membrane-specific measurements in a non-invasive, high-throughput manner, rendering it a superior choice for researchers and clinicians. Utilizing Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements, they introduced a new technique to assess apical and basolateral electrical responses to stimuli, providing great insights into cell quality and function compared to existing commercial and academic approaches.
 

Advantages of Invention

• Enables a non-invasive measurement into the electrical properties of barrier tissue membranes without using additional chemical perturbations.
• Can be performed using low-cost hardware and software.
• Does not require extensive training.

Potential Application

• Assessment of electrical properties of epithelial tissue
• Assessment of electrical properties of endothelial tissue
• High-throughput drug screening assays
• Long-term evaluation of epithelial or endothelial barrier development