Microphysiometry

Microphysiometry is the in vitro micro-measurement of the functions and activities of life or of living matter (as organs, tissues, or cells) and of the physical and chemical phenomena involved on a very small micrometer (μm) scale. The term microphysiometry emerged in the scientific literature at the end of the 1980s.

The primary parameters assessed in microphysiometry comprise pH and the concentration of dissolved oxygen, glucose, and lactic acid, with an emphasis on the first two. Measuring these parameters experimentally in combination with a fluidic system for cell culture maintenance and a defined application of drugs or toxins provides three quantitative output parameters: extracellular acidification rates (EAR), oxygen uptake rates (OUR), and rates of glucose consumption or lactate release that characterize the metabolic situation.