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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 4, 2026

Microfluidic Picoliter Bioreactor for Microbial Single-cell Analysis: Fabrication, System Setup, and Operation
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Microfluidic picoliter bioreactor for microbial single-cell analysis: fabrication, system setup, and operation.

Alexander Gruenberger1, Christopher Probst, Antonia Heyer

  • 1Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH.

Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove
|December 17, 2013
PubMed
Summary

This study details the microfluidic picoliter bioreactor (PLBR) for single-cell microbial analysis. The PLBR enables precise environmental control, revealing time-dependent population heterogeneity in cell growth and fluorescence.

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Microfluidic Picoliter Bioreactor for Microbial Single-cell Analysis: Fabrication, System Setup, and Operation
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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biotechnology
  • Microfluidics

Background:

  • Conventional methods like flow cytometry lack single-cell resolution for dynamic microbial studies.
  • Understanding single-cell behavior is crucial for microbiology and biotechnology.
  • Environmental conditions significantly impact microbial growth and function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the fabrication, setup, and operation of the microfluidic picoliter bioreactor (PLBR).
  • To demonstrate the PLBR's utility for analyzing single bacteria and microcolonies.
  • To investigate cell growth, morphology, stress response, and metabolite production at the single-cell level.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of the PLBR using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) casting from SU-8 molds.
  • Utilizing a high-resolution, automated microscope for time-lapse imaging.
  • Cultivating Corynebacterium glutamicum in the PLBR under controlled and dynamic media conditions.

Main Results:

  • The PLBR allows for continuous media flow, rapid medium changes, and oscillating conditions.
  • Time-dependent population heterogeneity in cell growth and intracellular fluorescence was observed.
  • Single-cell analysis revealed insights not achievable with traditional methods like flow cytometry.

Conclusions:

  • The PLBR is a versatile platform for detailed single-cell microbiological and biotechnological research.
  • The device offers tight environmental control for studying time-dependent microbial phenomena.
  • The simple fabrication process allows for easy adaptation and customization in microfluidics labs.