Researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) are advancing healthcare research through the development of organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technology. This technology uses miniature glass wafers lined with human cells to replicate the functions of human organs, enabling scientists to observe tissue responses to medications, infections, or diseases in ways that traditional laboratory methods cannot.
Associate Professor Swaminathan Rajaraman from UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science and doctoral student Surbhi Tidke have enhanced this concept by incorporating transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements. TEER is a key indicator of how well cells form protective barriers. By integrating TEER-on-a-chip, researchers can monitor barrier integrity in real time, providing a noninvasive tool for diagnosing and studying diseases affecting tissues such as those in the lungs, intestines, or brain.
“Using TEER-on-a-chip, we measure resistance by sending a very small, harmless current across a layer of cells to see how much the cells push back against it,” said Tidke. “If they are packed tightly together, the current has a harder time getting through, which means the cell layers are healthy. If they are loose or leaky, the current passes more easily, showing there is some problem.”
According to researchers, a loose or leaky response can indicate damage or disease in tissue, suggesting that this technology could support personalized healthcare solutions. “It’s like a mini lab, where pharmacists or doctors will be able to see in real time how a particular medication or treatment causes the individual’s sample cells to react,” Tidke added.
Rajaraman noted one unique aspect of their research: transparent electrodes that allow real-time measurements without obstructing visual observation. “If you have transparent electrodes, which is what we’ve been able to create, now, you can get simultaneous real time electrical measurements as you’re imaging these things optically as well,” he said. “It’s like a multi-modal sensor that can do a lot of different things in the electrical and optical domains.”
The TEER-on-a-Chip technology has received funding from the Multi-functional Integrated System Technology (MIST) Center—a research consortium supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation that connects university researchers with industry partners to commercialize research.
Industry partners World Precision Instruments (WPI) and SynVivo Inc. collaborated with Tidke and Rajaraman to launch their multiplexed TEER-on-a-Chip platform commercially. Tidke used manufacturing techniques similar to those used in computer chip production to create patterned glass wafers in various designs and sizes. This approach made the technology more affordable and adaptable for use across different industries and laboratory setups.
“Thanks to Surbhi’s amazing dedication, we can define things almost on a manufacturing scale now, which is very unique in academia,” said Rajaraman. “We’ve been working with WPI for a few years now, and they have been able to translate this rather quickly into something which is highly scalable, because all the development, designs and testing that we did here in the lab.”
Tidke’s work was recently published in IEEE Xplore. She credited UCF facilities—including Rajaraman’s NanoBioSensors and Systems lab, cleanrooms at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, core facilities at NanoScience Technology Center, and Materials Characterization Facility—for supporting rapid prototyping and testing of TEER chips.
“Using all the fantastic facilities at UCF enabled rapid prototyping of TEER chips and testing,” said Tidke. “Dr. Rajaraman’s lab is like a mini company outside of a real company and he’s like a very active CEO. We’re all a group of people coming together with one motive to positively contribute to advances in human health.”
Rajaraman emphasized the importance of moving discoveries quickly from academic settings into industry: “It is extremely important that these kinds of discoveries and new inventions translate very quickly from academic setting into industrial setting,” he said. “So that’s something that we think we’re really facilitating.”
Rajaraman holds tenure at UCF as an associate professor in both the NanoScience Technology Center and Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He previously worked in industry—co-founding Axion BioSystems Inc.—and has published over 100 articles while holding 35 patents or applications.
Tidke is pursuing her doctorate in electrical engineering at UCF with research focused on integrating novel nanomaterials into Organ-On-Chip platforms. She earned degrees from Mumbai University (B.E.) and Vellore Institute of Technology (M.Tech), later working as a research associate at Temasek Laboratories at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore before joining UCF.
