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Updated: Jan 19, 2026
A Microfluidic Chip for the Versatile Chemical Analysis of Single Cells
Published on: October 15, 2013
Microfluidic platform for rapid screening of bacterial cell lysis
Ricardo Fradique1, Ana M Azevedo2, Virginia Chu3
1Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores - Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC-MN) and IN - Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Lisbon, Portugal; IBB - Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
This study developed a microfluidic device for rapid screening of biopharmaceutical lysis conditions. The technology efficiently tested lysis solutions and identified process challenges, paving the way for continuous biomanufacturing.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Bioprocess Engineering
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Downstream processing is a bottleneck in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Current purification methods face challenges in cost reduction, efficiency, and process integration.
- Microfluidic technologies offer a cost-effective approach for rapid bioprocess design and optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a diffusion-based microfluidic device for rapid screening of continuous chemical lysis conditions.
- To demonstrate the application of microfluidics in evaluating lysis efficiency and identifying process issues.
- To explore the potential for integrating microfluidic modules for continuous biomanufacturing.
Main Methods:
- Development of a diffusion-based microfluidic device.
- Utilized recombinant green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) as a model system.
- Assessed lysis efficiency using fluorescence for cell growth and product concentration.
Main Results:
- Achieved approximately 60% lysis efficiency with enzymatic solutions and close to 100% with chemical lysis solutions.
- Successfully detected process issues like increased viscosity due to genomic material release.
- Demonstrated the capability to screen continuous chemical lysis conditions rapidly.
Conclusions:
- Microfluidic devices are effective tools for rapid screening of bioprocess conditions, including chemical lysis.
- This technology can identify potential process impediments, such as viscosity changes.
- The continuous operation of microfluidic lysis chips supports integration into fully continuous biomanufacturing platforms.
