Free-Space THz Characterization of PC12 Cells

Dielectric spectroscopy plays an important role in the biological diagnosis but there are limited publications on cultured live cells, like PC12 cells. In this paper, the complex permittivity of PC12 cells was measured and characterized using a free-space method in the range of 140–220 GHz. In the cell suspension experiment, a relaxation phenomenon was observed, regardless of the density of cell suspension. In addition, measurements on PC12 cells grown on patches of filter paper yield more information pertaining to biological behaviors of PC12 cells. It has been found through this work that the more live cells ae seeded on paper, the higher the complex permittivity becomes.