Non-invasive action potential recordings using printed electrolyte-gated polymer field-effect transistors

Adrica Kyndiah;Giulia Zoe Zemignani;Carlotta Ronchi;Gabriele Tullii;Aleksandr Khudiakov;Giuseppina Iachetta;Stefano Chiodini;Rosalia Moreddu;Fabrizio Antonio Viola;Peter J. Schwartz;Gabriel Gomila;Francesco De Angelis;Luca Sala;Maria Rosa Antognazza;Mario Caironi

2025-01-01

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Abstract

Scalable and high-throughput platforms to non-invasively record the Action Potentials (APs) of excitable cells are highly demanded to accelerate disease diagnosis and drug discovery. AP recordings are typically achieved with the invasive and low-throughput patch clamp technique. Non-invasive alternatives like planar multielectrode arrays cannot record APs without membrane poration, preventing accurate measurements of disease states and drug effects. Here, we disclose reliable and non-invasive recording of APs with patch clamp-like quality from human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes using an inkjet-printed polymer semiconductor in an Electrolyte-Gated Field-Effect Transistor configuration. High sensitivity is proven by the detection of drug-induced pro-arrhythmic membrane potential oscillations as early/delayed afterdepolarizations. The higher throughput potential of this platform could significantly enhance disease modelling, drug screening, safety pharmacology and the study of abiotic/biotic interfaces.