Automation of a Capillary-Wave Microbioreactor Platform to Enhance Phage Sensitivity Screen Efficiency

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microbiology
• Pharmaceutical Science

Background:

• Automation is crucial for increasing throughput, reducing lab work, and enhancing reproducibility in bioprocesses.
• Microbioreactors (MBRs) are suitable for highly parallelized and automated platforms, including screenings, cell-based assays, and bioprocess development.
• Phage sensitivity tests (phagograms) are a key application for MBRs in phage therapy, but lack automated, parallelized platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel, highly parallelizable platform for automated phagogram generation.
• To extend an existing capillary-wave microbioreactor (cwMBR) with automated fluid addition and biomass measurement capabilities.
• To demonstrate the platform's applicability for automated phagogram generation using Escherichia coli.

Main Methods:

• Development of a highly parallelizable capillary-wave microbioreactor (cwMBR) with a 7 µL volume and a phage-repellent hydrophilic glass surface.
• Integration of an in-house built platform for automated fluid addition in the nanoliter range.
• Development and validation of a custom, highly parallelizable device for biomass measurement in the microliter scale.

Main Results:

• Successful extension of the cwMBR platform with automated nanoliter-range fluid addition and microliter-scale biomass measurement.
• Demonstration of automated phagogram generation using Escherichia coli and automated phage addition.
• Clear indication of bacterial lysis by phages, confirming the platform's efficacy.

Conclusions:

• The novel, highly parallelizable cwMBR platform effectively supports automated phagogram generation.
• This platform enhances efficiency and reproducibility for phage sensitivity testing in phage therapy development.
• The developed system represents a significant advancement for automated bioprocesses in pharmaceutical applications.