Low-cost Arduino-based oxygen sensor for monitoring in vitro cell culture experiments

One of the factors that impacts the development of animal cell culture is the percentage of oxygen. Cell culture is commonly performed in conventional incubators that provide supra physiological oxygen conditions (18%), and it is increasingly recognized that these conditions can alter cell physiology. However, replacing conventional incubators with multi-gas incubators is expensive. A more economical alternative is to use the conventional incubator to provide the appropriate temperature conditions and place the cell culture inside airtight chambers made of Acrylic, polycarbonate or other plastic material, filled with the appropriate gas mixture and an oxygen sensor. This article describes the construction and use of a small oxygen sensing device that can be easily adapted to almost any incubation chamber and can be built and operated by anyone without knowledge of electronics or programming.