A SELF-ASSEMBLED PARTICLE MEMBRANE (SAPM)-INTEGRATED MICROFLUIDIC BIOREACTOR ARRAY FOR HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING OF MICROBES

Abstract

We present a versatile microfluidic device for chemostat-like and chemo-programmable cell culture, showing a wide range of applications. We integrate membranes made of self-assembled particles (SAPM) with a multi-depth microfluidic channel network. SAPMs make it possible to not only concentrate particles including live cells into the aimed microchamber but also manipulate the temporal chemical environment. In this work, we demonstrate that the SAPM-integrated microfluidic device in situ concentrates various motile and immotile samples. In addition, we demonstrate that the device provides a temporally and chemically programmable environment for microorganisms, enabling oscillatory induction assays with two inducers over time.