Modular Integration of Impedance Sensing for Real-Time Assessment of Barrier Integrity

Farajollahi, S.; Mansouri, M.; De Silva, D.; Hsu, M.-C.; Chen, K.; Hughes, A.; Esmaili, P.; Goyal, K.; Day, S. W.; McGrath, J. L.; Abhyankar, V. V.

doi:10.64898/2026.03.08.703312

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.03.08.703312

Modular Integration of Impedance Sensing for Real-Time Assessment of Barrier Integrity

Farajollahi, S.·Mansouri, M.·De Silva, D.·Hsu, M.-C.·Chen, K.·Hughes, A.·Esmaili, P.·Goyal, K.·Day, S. W.·McGrath, J. L.·Abhyankar, V. V.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Microphysiological systems (MPS) are essential for modeling tissue barriers, yet integrating electrical readouts often requires permanently sealed microfluidic architectures that limit access to open-well (direct-access) workflows used in bioscience laboratories. To resolve this issue, we present a modular approach in which functional components are added and removed from a standard MPS core using a magnetic interface. This design preserves compatibility with established open-well protocols for seeding and downstream analysis, while microfluidic perfusion or electrical sensing capabilities are added only when needed. We demonstrate this approach with an impedance-sensing module that enables continuous impedance measurements to assess barrier function. By fitting spectra to an equivalent circuit model, we quantify junctional and non-junctional electrical contributions to barrier integrity over time, alongside conventional single-frequency TEER, and complementary permeability and imaging readouts. We apply this platform across three representative use cases, including LPS-induced disruption, shear stress-mediated strengthening, and compatibility with barrier models formed above a 3D hydrogel matrix.

Explore related subjects

bioengineering Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Farajollahi, S., Mansouri, M., De Silva, D., Hsu, M.-C., Chen, K., Hughes, A., Esmaili, P., Goyal, K., Day, S. W., McGrath, J. L., Abhyankar, V. V.. 2026-03-10. Modular Integration of Impedance Sensing for Real-Time Assessment of Barrier Integrity. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.08.703312

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Surfactant-Assisted Colorimetric Signal Enhancement in Paper-Based Glucose Sensing

Paper-based colorimetric sensors offer a low-cost and accessible platform for point-of-care (POC) analysis, but enzyme activity loss during coating and drying can weaken analytical signals and require high enzyme loadings or complex immobilization procedures. Although surfactants are widely used to improve wettability in paper-based assays, their potential contribution to colorimetric performance beyond these effects remains unclear. Here, we investigated surfactant-assisted colorimetric signal enhancement in a glucose assay implemented on a 96-puddle paper plate (96-PPP) and identified Tween 20 as the most effective surfactant. Its effect on detection performance became more pronounced as glucose oxidase (GOx) loading decreased; at 0.1 mg/mL GOx, Tween 20 lowered the limit of detection (LoD) from 0.113 to 0.034 mg/mL (approximately 3.3-fold) over a working range of 0-5 mg/mL, despite no statistically significant change in the measured contact angle at this loading. Tween 20 had no appreciable effect on the reaction in solution but preserved 95% of the apparent reaction rate constant after drying, compared with 11% without it, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed a more dispersed dried enzyme morphology on mica. Tween 20-containing sensors also showed slower signal decay during repeated wetting-drying cycles and thermal stress, retained 77% (vs 26%) of the response at 400 mM NaCl, and exhibited within-PPP and between-batch coefficients of variation (CVs) below 10% (vs 12.3-19.5%), while maintaining glucose selectivity over potentially interfering molecules. These results indicate that Tween 20 enhances paper-based glucose sensing beyond wettability, in part by retaining enzyme cascade activity during drying, although the contributions of the individual enzymes and the underlying mechanism remain to be established.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2026

Engineering CAR-T cells to remodel the mucin-rich cancer cell glycocalyx

The dense glycocalyx of cancer cells can restrict immune-cell access to surface antigens and limit CAR-T cell activity. Here, we show that mucin density and epitope position determine how glycocalyx remodeling affects CAR-T cell recognition and killing. We identify KLK5 as a human protease that cleaves tumor-associated mucins, increases access to membrane-proximal antigens, and enhances CAR-T cell function. We then engineer CAR-T cells to display or secrete KLK5, enabling remodeling of the tumor glycocalyx during antigen recognition. KLK5-engineered CAR-T cells improved tumor control across multiple xenograft models, and KLK5-secreting MUC17 CAR-T cells produced the strongest in vivo benefit, prolonging survival compared with conventional MUC17 CAR-T cells. These findings show that CAR-T cells can be engineered to breach the mucin-rich glycocalyx while preserving accessible target epitopes.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2026

Wall stiffening is a primary contributor to motility loss in Crohn's disease: an electromechanical modeling study

Fibrotic strictures are among the most disabling complications of Crohn's disease, permanently narrowing the bowel and impairing motility, yet no approved therapy reverses them. Chronic inflammation alters pacemaker-network coupling, smooth-muscle excitability, and calcium-dependent contractility, while fibrosis thickens the bowel wall, narrows the lumen, and changes tissue mechanics. The relative contributions of these coupled electrical, contractile, and structural alterations to motility loss remain unclear. To address this gap, we develop an integrated electromechanical finite-element framework for fibrostenosing Crohn's disease that couples a fibrosis-driven growth model with a FitzHugh-Nagumo electromechanical model. A full-factorial 25 design of experiments is used to quantify the relative effects of electrical diffusivity, excitation threshold, peak active stress, wall stiffness, and hypertrophic remodeling on cyclic lumen-volume deformation. Motility is quantified by the standard deviation of lumen volume over one contraction cycle. Within the parameter ranges examined, increased wall stiffness emerged as the dominant contributor to motility loss, followed by impaired smooth-muscle contractility. Changes in excitation threshold, hypertrophic remodeling, and electrical diffusivity produced substantially smaller effects. Pairwise interactions were small relative to the dominant main effects, indicating that the mechanisms contributed largely through their individual effects. Our findings suggest that limiting wall stiffening while preserving smooth-muscle contractile function may provide a therapeutic strategy for maintaining intestinal motility in fibrostenosing Crohn's disease.

bioengineering↗