A Review of Advanced Impedance Biosensors with Microfluidic Chips for Single-Cell Analysis

Electrical impedance biosensors combined with microfluidic devices can be used to analyze fundamental biological processes for high-throughput analysis at the single-cell scale. These specialized analytical tools can determine the effectiveness and toxicity of drugs with high sensitivity and demonstrate biological functions on a single-cell scale. Because the various parameters of the cells can be measured depending on methods of single-cell trapping, technological development ultimately determine the efficiency and performance of the sensors. Identifying the latest trends in single-cell trapping technologies afford opportunities such as new structural design and combination with other technologies. This will lead to more advanced applications towards improving measurement sensitivity to the desired target. In this review, we examined the basic principles of impedance sensors and their applications in various biological fields. In the next step, we introduced the latest trend of microfluidic chip technology for trapping single cells and summarized the important findings on the characteristics of single cells in impedance biosensor systems that successfully trapped single cells. This is expected to be used as a leading technology in cell biology, pathology, and pharmacological fields, promoting the further understanding of complex functions and mechanisms within individual cells with numerous data sampling and accurate analysis capabilities.

Automated summary

Electrical impedance biosensors combined with microfluidic devices offer high-throughput analysis of biological processes at the single-cell scale, enabling sensitive determination of drug effectiveness and toxicity. The efficiency and performance of the sensors are ultimately determined by the methods of single-cell trapping, while identifying the latest trends opens up opportunities for technological advancement. This leading technology in cell biology, pathology, and pharmacology allows for further understanding of complex cellular functions and mechanisms through precise analysis capabilities.