Integrated Microfluidic Platform for Longitudinal Imaging, Functional Assays, and Downstream Proteomics in C. elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans is a widely used model organism in developmental biology, neurobiology, and host-pathogen research. However, existing approaches for long-term, high-content imaging of individual worms are constrained by stress-inducing immobilization and fragmented observational workflows. Here, a microfluidic platform is introduced that enables continuous, high-resolution imaging of individual C. elegans from the L1 larval stage through adulthood within a fully integrated system. The device incorporates dynamic fluidic control for automated feeding, waste and progeny removal, and transient, non-invasive immobilization of up to 20 worms in parallel. On-chip nutrition is validated using fluorescently labeled bacteria, and physiological compatibility is confirmed through stress assays. Using sod-3p::GFP reporter strains, it is shown that short-term immobilization induces no detectable stress response, while starvation conditions produce strong activation. The platform also supports real-time pathogen tracking, demonstrated by visualizing the spatial distribution of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PemB toxin in vivo. Finally, compatibility with single-nematode proteomics are established, identifying over 80 C. elegans proteins from individual worms despite bacterial background. Together, this system enables seamless integration of developmental monitoring, physiological assays, infection models, and molecular profiling at single-organism resolution. It offers a powerful and versatile tool for advancing microfluidics-enabled functional biology.