Abstract

Raman Imaging and Beat Profiling of the Pharmacological Reaction of Neonatal Rat Cardiomyocytes in a Centrifugal Microfluidic Chip

Wilfred Espulgar, Research Fellow, Osaka University

Cell-based drug assay is a common technology among pharmaceutical companies for rapidly screening chemical entities during initial discovery phase and for mechanistic detailed studies during developmental phase. Among the screening processes, cardiovascular toxicity profiling of chemical entities proved to be the greatest obstacle. This study presents the design and operation of a centrifugal microfluidic chip in aiding easy placement of single cardiomyocytes for beat motion analysis and Raman imaging. Beat profiles of the cells were generated using image correlation analysis to study the contractile characteristics (beating rate, beating strength, and inter-beat duration). Raman Images of the cells were acquired using a 532 nm laser operated at 1.98 mW and with acquisition time of 20s/line. By utilizing these non-invasive tools, long term continuous monitoring, right after trapping, was made possible and cell growth and dynamics were successfully observed in the chip. Media replacement does not require large supporting equipment but instead utilize capillary flow only. The treatment of carbachol and isoproterenol to single cells at different doses and incubation time and the corresponding Raman images and beat profiles shall be disclosed that could demonstrate the applicability of the set up for pharmacological reaction study.