On the potential of microscale electrokinetic cascade devices

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microbiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Phage therapy requires highly purified bacteriophages (phages) to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.
• Current purification methods are limited in their broad applicability to diverse phage types.
• Electrokinetic techniques show promise for phage manipulation but are hindered by cell debris, causing device clogging and reduced efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a novel, multipart insulator-based electrokinetic device for efficient phage purification and concentration.
• To address the limitations of existing methods by mitigating clogging and sample loss during phage preparation.

Main Methods:

• A cascade electrokinetic device was designed with an integrated debris prescreen and a second-stage analysis channel.
• The device was tested using polystyrene particles to quantify sample loss compared to manual transfer.
• Purification and concentration of three distinct phage samples were performed using the device's prescreen stage.

Main Results:

• The cascade device demonstrated a reduction in sample loss by approximately one order of magnitude compared to manual transfer.
• The first stage effectively removed larger debris, preventing clogging and facilitating phage purification.
• Successful purification and concentration of three different phage samples were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The proposed multipart electrokinetic device offers a simple and effective method for purifying and concentrating phages from complex mixtures.
• This approach overcomes the challenge of cell debris, enhancing the utility of electrokinetic separations for phage therapy applications.
• The streamlined system minimizes sample loss and device downtime, paving the way for scalable phage purification.