All-carbon multi-electrode array for real-time in vitro measurements of   oxidizable neurotransmitters
  We report on the ion beam fabrication of all-carbon multi electrode arrays (MEAs) based on 16 graphitic micro-channels embedded in single-crystal diamond (SCD) substrates. The fabricated SCD-MEAs are systematically employed for the in vitro simultaneous amperometric detection of the secretory activity from populations of chromaffin cells, demonstrating a new sensing approach with respect to standard techniques. The biochemical stability and biocompatibility of the SCD-based device combined with the parallel recording of multi-electrodes array allow: i) a significant time saving in data collection during drug screening and/or pharmacological tests over a large number of cells, ii) the possibility of comparing altered cell functionality among cell populations, and iii) the repeatition of acquisition runs over many cycles with a fully non-toxic and chemically robust bio-sensitive substrate. 
F. Picollo, A. Battiato, E. Bernardi, M. Plaitano, C. Franchino, S.   Gosso, A. Pasquarelli, E. Carbone, P. Olivero, V. Cara...
physics.ins-det physics.bio-ph