Flow-through sensor array applied to cytotoxicity assessment in cell cultures for drug-testing purposes

•We propose flow-through sensor array as non-invasive detection system for cell microbioreactors.•The sensor array is used for assessing cell viability monitored for drug testing purposes.•It is capable of cytotoxic effect detection after treatment with 1,4-dioxane and 5-fluorouracil.

The viability of cells cultured in microsystems for drug screening purposes is usually tested with a variety of colorimetric/fluorescent methods. In this work we propose an alternative way of assessing cell viability—flow-through sensor array that can be connected in series with cell microbioreactors as compatible detection system. It is shown, that the presented device is capable of cytotoxic effect detection and estimation of cell viability after treatment with 1,4-dioxane and 5-fluorouracil, which proves that it can be used for truly non-invasive, fast, reliable, continuous cell culture monitoring in microscale.