Label free biosensors and cells

1. A method to test the effect of a stimulatory event on a cell comprising:

providing a RWG (Resonant Wave Guide Grating) label-free biosensor;

incubating a cell on the biosensor;

providing a stimulatory event to the incubated cell;

collecting from within the cell, at the cell surface, or a combination thereof, the DMR (Directional Mass Redistribution) biosensor output from the biosensor; and

analyzing said DMR to determine the effect of the stimulatory event on the cell.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a stimulatory effect is identified from the biosensor output.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stimulatory event affects cell viability, cell proliferation, or has an effect on absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, or toxicity of the cell.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stimulatory event comprises adding a compound to the cell and the compound modulates a cell signaling pathway.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the compound modulates a cell surface receptor on the cell.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the cell surface receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor, an ion channel, a receptor tyrosine kinase, a cytokine receptor, an integrin receptor, a Na+H+ exchanger receptor, an immune receptor, a G q -coupled receptor, a G s -coupled receptor, a G 12/13 -coupled receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGF), or vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), or combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein collecting biosensor output from the biosensor comprises collecting a biosensor output parameter related to the kinetics of the biosensor output and analyzing the overall kinetics of the biosensor output comprising at least one of:

analyzing the rate of change from one phase to another phase and the completion of a phase transition;

analyzing the length of time it takes to complete output of the biosensor output;

analyzing the length of time for which an overall phase of the output of the biosensor output takes;

analyzing the total duration of a P-DMR (Positive-Directional Mass Redistribution) phase;

analyzing the total duration of a N-DMR (Negative-Directional Mass Redistribution) phase;

analyzing the rate for attaining the total amplitude of the P-DMR;

analyzing the rate for attaining the total amplitude of the N-DMR;

analyzing the rate to go from a N-DMR to a P-DMR;

analyzing the transition time t from a P-DMR phase to a N-DMR phase, a net-zero phase to a P-DMR phase, a net-zero to a N-DMR phase, a P-DMR phase to a net-zero phase, or a N-DMR phase to a net zero phase;

analyzing the phases of the biosensor output; or

a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein analyzing the phases comprises of at least one of:

analyzing a phase transition;

analyzing a Positive-Directional Mass Redistribution (P-DMR) signal;

analyzing a Negative-Directional Mass Redistribution (N-DMR) signal;

analyzing a net-zero Directional Mass Redistribution (net-zero DMR);

analyzing the shape of a Positive-Directional Mass Redistribution (P-DMR) signal;

analyzing the amplitude of a Positive-Directional Mass Redistribution (P-DMR) signal;

analyzing the shape of a Negative-Directional Mass Redistribution (N-DMR) signal;

analyzing the amplitude of a Negative-Directional Mass Redistribution (N-DMR) signal;

analyzing the shape of the complete curve produced by the biosensor output; or

a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein incubating the cell culture comprises culturing to a confluency of 20-99%.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biosensor output is at least one of: a resonant peak of a guided mode; or a resonant band image of a guided mode.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biosensor is embedded in the bottom of a microplate having plurality of wells, a different type of cell is cultured in each of two or more wells, the stimulatory event is provided to the two or more wells, the stimulatory event comprises adding a ligand to a receptor tyrosine kinase to the two or more wells, the biosensor output is collected from the two or more wells, and the biosensor output is the time-dependent response of the cells.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell has a high expression level of a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), the biosensor is embedded in the bottom of a microplate having a plurality of wells, a cell is cultured in each of two or more wells, a stimulatory event is provided to the two or more wells, the stimulatory event comprises adding a ligand to the RTK to the two or more wells, wherein a different concentration of the ligand to the RTK is added to the two or more cells, the biosensor output is collected from the two or more wells, and the biosensor output reflects the dose- and time-dependence of the cells in the different wells.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of label-free biosensors are provided, a cell is cultured on each of two or more of the biosensors, the stimulatory event is provided to the two or more of the biosensors, and the biosensor output is collected from the two or more biosensors.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biosensor has a first region having no material-containing mixture deposited and a second region having a material-containing mixture deposited such that when the cell is incubated on the biosensor the cells on the second region become transfected by the materials.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the biosensor comprises two or more biosensors that are each physically separated with a barrier, the barrier defines a compartment within the wells that is lower than the barrier defining the wells in the microplate.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incubated cell has a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), the incubated cell is suspended in a medium containing serum at a concentration that allows for the attachment and growth of the cell on the biosensor surface, and the incubated cell adheres to the biosensor surface.