High-throughput design of microfluidics based on directed bacterial motility

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Bioengineering

Background:

• Designing interfaces between biological cells and microfabricated devices is challenging.
• Current methods for device refinement are slow and iterative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid microdesign and fabrication approach for creating 3D bacterial interfaces.
• To demonstrate the use of these interfaces to harness bacterial flagellar motion for fluid transport.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multiphoton excitation for protein photocrosslinking in a direct-write procedure.
• Employed static and dynamic masking for precise microstructure fabrication.
• Captured motile bacteria from fluidic environments using engineered microstructures.

Main Results:

• Achieved iterative refinement of bacterial interfaces in as little as 10 minutes.
• Demonstrated reproducible steering and patterning of flagellated E. coli cells.
• Generated microfluidic currents for guiding micro-objects at velocities up to 150 microm s(-1).
• Showcased dynamic immobilization of bacteria, overcoming limitations of cell functional lifetime.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfabrication approach enables rapid prototyping of cell-powered microfluidic devices.
• This technology provides a foundation for sophisticated microfluidic systems driven by cellular components.
• Harnessing bacterial motion offers a novel strategy for microfluidic actuation and control.