Six-Array Transepithelial Electrical Resistance Device

Trans-endothelial/epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) is used to assess the integrity of cellular barriers, but commercial TEER machines are expensive, causing a high barrier to entry. In this study, we developed a low-cost, open-source TEER device capable of measuring six cell cultures simultaneously using an Arduino Uno microcontroller. A custom 3D-printed device was made to ensure consistent electrode placement within standard Transwell inserts, and code was written to simultaneously monitor resistance across six analog inputs at chosen time intervals. The TEER machine was validated using known resistors from 47 ohms to 100 kiloohms. While the percentage of error was high at very low resistances, accuracy improved with higher resistance values, reaching <3% at 100 kiloohms. This shows that the TEER machine has reliable measurements at relevant ranges while remaining inexpensive and easy to assemble in under two hours.