UCLA

The thesis studies a three-dimensional rectangular hexahedron meshing (3D RHM) single-cell model to explore the cell behaviors for electronic cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS). In the model, a spatial network of resistors (R) and capacitors (C) is established to mimic a single-cell measurement system including electrodes, medium and mammalian cells. Unlike the existing ECIS models, which are limited by several approximations for current flow, spreading resistance and cell morphology, the proposed single-cell model is more flexible and enables us to provide high mesh resolution to reconstruct the real circumstances of cell and their surroundings. Moreover, the simulated results by single-cell model match the published measurement and simulation data by Thein and Huang. In addition, it is also demonstrated that the maximum change of total impedance (Z) between 100 Hz to 10 MHz varies based upon changes in cell properties, specifically the size of cell, cell membrane capacitance, cell-electrode distance, and cytoplasm resistivity, which is essential to understand the frequency-dependent cell behaviors.