Cascaded chemical sensing using a single cell as a sensor

Cell based biosensors are portable devices containing living biological cells that monitor physiological changes induced by exposure to environmental perturbations from toxicants, pathogens or pollutants. Conventional sensing techniques lack the ability to detect a large number of known and unknown chemical agents, to characterize their functionality and to predict the resulting effects on human physiology. Here, we describe a sensing technique based on the development of single cell arrays with the ability to detect a broad spectrum of chemical agents based on the modification of extracellular electrical activity. The complex modulated signal spectrum is analyzed via Fourier and wavelet transformation techniques to yield unique identifiers called "Signature Patterns".