A lab-on-chip platform for simultaneous culture and electrochemical detection of bacteria

A simple, cost-effective and miniaturized lab-on-a-chip platform has been developed amenable to perform simultaneous cultivation and detection of bacteria. A microfluidic chamber was integrated to screen-printed electrodes for electrochemical detection of bacteria. The temperature required for the bacterial culture was provided through the optimized laser-induced graphene heaters. The concentration of bacteria was quantified accurately with the three-electrode system in the range of 2 × 10⁴ to 1.1 × 10⁹ CFU/mL without any need of biological modifications to the electrodes. The viability of cultured bacteria in the microfluidic device was also confirmed through fluorescent imaging. Furthermore, the metabolic activity of the cultured bacteria was validated through a miniaturized microbial fuel cell. Furthermore, the specificity of electrodes was also performed through electrochemical technique. Finally, a handheld and portable lab-on-a-chip platform was realized by 3D packaging, integrated with a portable potentiostat for real-time and on-field applications.