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In vitro models have employed two common methods to quantify changes in endothelial barrier integrity: transepithelial/transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and tracer compound permeability.1  TEER is a non-invasive method that quantifies changes in electrical conductance to measure confluency and barrier integrity. Tracer compound permeability uses molecules of defined molecular weights to measure the size exclusion capacity of cell barriers (e.g., 4 kDa FITC-dextran or FD4).1  Using the EVOM™ Manual (EVOM-MT-03-01) with the EndOhm TEER electrode and cell culture permeable supports, this application note describes how to non-invasively evaluate endothelial barrier integrity after cytokine treatment and provides a method to identify vasoactive compounds that have the potential to induce vascular injury.  Tracer compound permeability studies are combined with TEER evaluation to elucidate treatment-induced impacts on both intercellular junctions and paracellular transport (Fig. 1).

In 2022, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 37 new drugs, of which 20 were chemical entities and 17 were biologics. In 2023, drug discovery remains strong with many new advancements a result of changing landscapes in both the types of drugs that are being developed and the new and innovative assay that are being launched to evaluate drugs preclinically. Therapeutic development is still highly focused on diseases that affect large populations of people for which there are lack of effective treatments, with 2023’s most anticipated drug launches expected to be in areas of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and ulcerative colitis.

In 2022, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 37 new drugs, of which 20 were chemical entities and 17 were biologics. In 2023, drug discovery remains strong with many new advancements a result of changing landscapes in both the types of drugs that are being developed and the new and innovative assay that are being launched to evaluate drugs preclinically. Therapeutic development is still highly focused on diseases that affect large populations of people for which there are lack of effective treatments, with 2023’s most anticipated drug launches expected to be in areas of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and ulcerative colitis.

Transepithelial Electrical Resistance (TEER) is a widely used technique in the life sciences fields and therapeutic development. It measures the electrical resistance across a cell monolayer, providing information about the integrity and functionality of epithelial barriers. TEER has proven to be a valuable tool in various fields, including drug absorption studies, tissue engineering, and disease modeling. This article aims to explore the benefits of TEER and its applications in different research areas.

Transepithelial/transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurement is one of the most used practices to evaluate cellular health, such as cellular confluence, barrier integrity, or barrier function of cellular monolayers grown onto multiwells. The TEER measurement using WPI’s Epithelial Voltohmmeter (EVOM) is considered the gold standard because of its reliable measurements and numerous literature citations using various cell types. The EVOM™ Manual and EVOM™ Auto along with different choices of electrodes (STX4, STX HTS high throughput screening, EndOhm chambers, and multielectrode array for EVOM™ Auto) allow researchers to perform and analyze cell samples in 6, 12, and 24 removable inserts and 24 and 96 HTS multiwell plate formats. The major challenges researchers may encounter while performing studies to capture TEER measurement include:
·      Unstable read outs
·      Out of range values 
·      Inconsistent measurements among sample replicates or batches.
Consider the following factors to overcome any TEER measurement problems and obtain accurate and reliable measurements.