Intracellular Recording of Human Cardiac Action Potentials on Market-Available Multielectrode Array Platforms

High quality attenuated intracellular action potentials from large cell networks can be
recorded on multi-electrode arrays by means of 3D vertical nanopillars using electrical
pulses. However,most of the techniques require complex 3D nanostructures that prevent
the straightforward translation into marketable products and the wide adoption in the
scientific community. Moreover, 3D nanostructures are often delicate objects that cannot
sustain several harsh use/cleaning cycles. On the contrary, laser optoacoustic poration
allows the recording of action potentials on planar nanoporous electrodes made of
noble metals. However, these constraints of the electrode material and morphology may
also hinder the full exploitation of this methodology. Here, we show that optoacoustic
poration is also very effective for porating cells on a large family of MEA electrode
configurations, including robust electrodes made of nanoporous titanium nitride or
disordered fractal-like gold nanostructures. This enables the recording of high quality
cardiac action potentials in combination with optoacoustic poration, providing thus
attenuated intracellular recordings on various already commercial devices used by a
significant part of the research and industrial communities.