BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS 26(3), 2010
A novel olfactory neurochip based on olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) cultivated planar multielectrode array (MEA) devices was developed in this study. In order to investigate the odor-response characteristics of ORNs, two types of odorants at different concentrations were quantitatively pumped into the neurochip, and the extracellular electrical activities of multiple ORNs were simultaneously recorded in vitro. The odor-response features of ORNs such as firing amplitude, firing threshold were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Especially, the odor-response maps from the multiple sites could be used to identify DL-limonene (LIM) and isoamyle acetate (ISO) odorants. These preliminary studies indicate that the ORN-based biosensor developed here has a potential capability of distinguishing different odorants as a true bionic electronic nose.
