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Porous monolith microfluidics for bacterial cell-to-cell communication assays.
C M Austin1, D M Caro1, S Sankar1
1Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
Biomicrofluidics
|August 31, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a microfluidic platform using a porous monolith to stably separate bacterial strains, enabling long-term study of their molecular communication. This tool allows controlled experiments for understanding cell-to-cell signaling and improving biosensor design.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic Biology
- Microfluidics
- Microbial Ecology
Background:
- Genetically engineered bacteria offer diverse applications, including environmental monitoring and studying gut microbial communities.
- Current microfluidic tools are limited in controlling and measuring communication between multiple bacterial populations over extended periods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a microfluidic platform for stable, long-term control and measurement of molecular communication between adjacent bacterial populations.
- To enable fundamental studies on the limits of cell-to-cell communication and improve biosensor design.
Main Methods:
- A novel microfluidic platform utilizing a porous monolith to partition bacterial strains.
- Stable partitioning allowed molecular communication between adjacent populations for several days.
- Measurement of small molecule production via analytical chemistry and fluorescent output.
Main Results:
- The platform enabled stable, long-term experiments (days) with controlled bacterial populations and regulated inputs/outputs.
- No cross-contamination was observed between adjacent bacterial populations.
- Experimental results were compared with communication and diffusion delay models.
Conclusions:
- The porous monolith microfluidic system facilitates bacterial cell-to-cell communication assays with dynamic control and long-term stability.
- This system is valuable for understanding bacterial communication mechanisms.
- The platform can enhance the capabilities of biosensor design.
