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Handyfuge Microfluidic for On-Site Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing
Shunji Li1, Chao Wan1, Bangfeng Wang1
1The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
A new portable microfluidic chip enables rapid, low-cost antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) detection. This handyfuge-AST device provides accurate minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) results within hours for effective point-of-care diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Microfluidics
- Antimicrobial Resistance
Background:
- Conventional antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) methods are time-consuming, costly, and labor-intensive, hindering rapid antimicrobial resistance (AMR) management.
- Accurate and accessible minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination is crucial for combating AMR.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a low-cost, electricity-free, portable, and robust microfluidic device for on-site AST.
- To enable rapid and accurate determination of MIC values for single antibiotics and combinations.
Main Methods:
- Development of the handyfuge-AST microfluidic chip for generating antibiotic concentration gradients via handheld centrifugation.
- Integration of a pH-based colorimetric strategy for visual or mobile app-based result interpretation.
- Validation against clinical standards using 60 clinical samples and six common antibiotics.
Main Results:
- The handyfuge-AST generated accurate antibiotic gradients in under 5 minutes.
- MIC values for *Escherichia coli* were obtained within 5 hours.
- 100% categorical agreement with clinical standard methods was achieved (AUCs = 1.00).
Conclusions:
- The handyfuge-AST offers a low-cost, portable, and robust solution for rapid, accurate MIC determination at the point-of-care.
- This technology can significantly aid in limiting the progression of antimicrobial resistance.
- The device facilitates on-site diagnostics, improving AMR management strategies.
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