HOW IT WORKS
Learn how impedance assays work and the innovation behind Axion's products.

OVERVIEW
Getting started with Maestro Z couldn't be easier. Culture your cells in an Axion multiwell CytoView-Z plate [A]. Load this plate into the Maestro Z system and allow the environmental chamber to automatically equilibrate [B]. Track immune cell-mediated killing label-free and in real-time with AxIS Z software [C].

WHAT IS IMPEDANCE?
Axion's 96-well CytoView-Z plate has a recording electrode embedded in the culture surface of each well [D]. The Maestro Z platform uses impedance measurements (ohms, Ω) to quantify the presence of cells on the electrode [E]. To measure impedance, small electrical signals are delivered to the electrodes. Cell attachment, spreading, and cell-cell connections block these electrical signals and are detected as an increase in impedance. Since impedance is non-invasive and label-free, impedance assays can be used to quantify dynamic cellular responses over minutes, hours, and days [F].

CELLULAR IMPEDANCE RECORDINGS
Impedance measures how much electrical signal (teal-colored arrows) is blocked by the electrode-cell interface [G]. When the electrode is uncovered, electrical signal easily passes (thick arrows) and the impedance is low. When cells cover the electrode, less electrical signal passes (blocked arrows) and impedance is high. When cells die or detach, the impedance decreases back towards baseline [H].
APPLICATIONS
Discover how impedance-based assays are being used for immuno-oncology applications.
CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY
Monitor effector-mediated cytolysis of target cancer cell lines
Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive form of brain cancer that has no effective treatments and a prognosis of only 12–15 months. Immune system effector T cells hold promise for future cancer therapy due to their high specificity and innate cytotoxicity. The Maestro Z impedance assay provides a sensitive, label-free, nondestructive method to continuously monitor cancer cell proliferation and immune cell-mediated cytotoxicity, providing a powerful means of assessing immune cell potency.
U87MG glioma cells were seeded into the CytoView-Z plate at three different densities (n=12) and impedance was continuously monitored on the Maestro Z. After 24 hours, activated human T-cells were added in a 10:1 ratio to each well (n=4 wells for each cell density). The addition of activated human T-cells resulted in a decrease of the impedance signal consistent with T-cell-mediated lysis of the U87 cells, while untreated wells continued increasing, as shown (left) for 25k U87. Percent cytolysis was tracked in real-time (middle), enabling computation of KT50 for each density (right). A higher density of T-cells led to faster killing of U87 cells.
MORE APPLICATIONS
Discover how impedance-based assays are being used to better characterize other cellular processes.
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