Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Mia De Sabatino and I am from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I am currently a senior at Florida State University studying chemistry and I have been with my lab for the past two years. I hope to go into graduate school to utilize the methods that I have learned during my time in my undergraduate. I have had an exciting experience in my lab and wish to continue to further my understanding of this field.

High Resolution pH Mapping of Single A549 Cells Using Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy

Abstract

Adenocarcinoma is a common form of lung cancer, and the development of new anticancer drugs could lead to better treatment options. The anticancer drug, such as Toyocamycin, has shown effects on multiple prostate and pancreatic cancer cell-lines but has not been tested on lung carcinoma cells. Using non-invasive and label-free technique such as scanning ion conductance Microscopy (SICM), Toyocamycin was found to be effective against the A549 cell-line, inducing membrane blebbing, cell shrinkage, and apoptotic volume decrease. To further investigate its effects, poly-L-lysine (PLL) based pH sensors will be used to measure changes in the pH of the cell membrane upon drug introduction, providing insights into its mechanism of action. Additionally, the fabrication of iridium oxide pH sensors will be compared to PLL sensors to evaluate the different methodologies, the fabrication process and the potential applications of these sensors in drug studies.

Keywords: cell morphology, drug studies, electrochemistry, analytical