Non-Invasive Contractility Evaluation Chip
Overview
The NICE platform is essentially a smart petri dish designed specifically for heart cells. While traditional petri dishes just provide a flat surface for cells to grow, the NICE platform contains special materials that can measure how strongly heart cells are beating without disturbing them. Think of it like a fitness tracker for heart cells. When heart cells contract (beat), they create tiny mechanical movements. The NICE platform has a special material (piezoelectric-PDMS or PE-PDMS) that converts these tiny mechanical movements into electrical signals, similar to how pressure on a touchscreen creates an electrical response. These signals are then measured to tell researchers exactly how strongly the heart cells are contracting without needing to constantly observe them under a microscope. This technology allows scientists to test how heart cells from different people respond to various drugs or treatments, potentially leading to more personalized heart treatments. In addition to cardiac applications, the platform can also be adapted for skeletal muscle studies, including exercise simulation and muscle disease modeling.
Key Features
Automated, Non-Invasive Monitoring
Continuously tracks muscle contraction without disturbing cells.
Drug Screening Applications
Evaluates therapeutic effects on muscle function.
Multi-Sample Throughput
Enables simultaneous testing across multiple conditions.
Exercise & Stimulation Modeling
Simulates physiological muscle activity.
Model Overview
NICE Chip is a microengineered skeletal muscle-on-chip platform designed to measure muscle contractility through an integrated piezoelectric sensing system. The device is built on a piezoelectric-PDMS (PE-PDMS) substrate with micro-cantilever structures that convert the mechanical motion of beating cells into measurable electrical signals. The platform supports 8 simultaneous samples, with each column functioning as an independent test. Within each sample, there are two distinct culture regions: a larger chamber for myocytes and a smaller adjacent chamber for co-culture cells, such as endothelial cells or fibroblasts. These regions are connected by a central microchannel, allowing shared media and biochemical signaling between cell populations while maintaining physical separation. This design enables physiologically relevant cell-cell interactions without interfering with measurement accuracy. Importantly, only the myocytes are cultured directly on the sensing surface, ensuring that contractility data is collected specifically from the exercised muscle cells. This prevents signal dilution from non-contractile cells and allows for precise, real-time measurement of muscle function across multiple parallel samples.
Validation
Validation studies confirm that the NICE platform supports viable and functionally active muscle cells, including both cardiomyocytes and skeletal myocytes.Cells exhibit consistent, spontaneous beating patterns, with improved synchronization compared to traditional culture methods. Fluorescent staining confirms proper development of muscle fibers through markers such as F-actin and α-actinin.The platform provides automated, real-time contractility data, with measurements that align with established in vitro and in vivo benchmarks. Additionally, comparisons with traditional culture systems demonstrate improved physiological relevance and data consistency.
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