An electrical impedance-based assay to examine functions of various placental cell types in vitro

Abstract

In vitro functional analyses of cells are widely used to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in preeclampsia. Common cellular functions studied include adhesion, apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and invasion. At present, most researchers will use endpoint experimental assays that only allow the determination of cell function at a single time point, with the need to repeat the experiment for an alternate time point. Here, we describe an electrical impedance-based tool that allows real-time monitoring of cells, which enables the efficient assessment of multiple time points over the duration of a single experiment.