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Life under flow: a novel microfluidic device for the assessment of anti-biofilm technologies

Life under flow: a novel microfluidic device for the assessment of anti-biofilm technologies
Life under flow: a novel microfluidic device for the assessment of anti-biofilm technologies
In the current study, we have developed and fabricated a novel lab-on-a-chip device for the investigation of biofilm responses, such as attachment kinetics and initial biofilm formation, to different hydrodynamic conditions. The microfluidic flow channels are designed using computational fluid dynamic simulations so as to have a pre-defined, homogeneous wall shear stress in the channels, ranging from 0.03 to 4.30?Pa, which are relevant to in-service conditions on a ship hull, as well as other man-made marine platforms. Temporal variations of biofilm formation in the microfluidic device were assessed using time-lapse microscopy, nucleic acid staining, and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Differences in attachment kinetics were observed with increasing shear stress, i.e., with increasing shear stress there appeared to be a delay in bacterial attachment, i.e., at 55, 120, 150, and 155?min for 0.03, 0.60, 2.15, and 4.30?Pa, respectively. CLSM confirmed marked variations in colony architecture, i.e.,: (i) lower shear stresses resulted in biofilms with distinctive morphologies mainly characterised by mushroom-like structures, interstitial channels, and internal voids, and (ii) for the higher shear stresses compact clusters with large interspaces between them were formed. The key advantage of the developed microfluidic device is the combination of three architectural features in one device, i.e., an open-system design, channel replication, and multiple fully developed shear stresses.
micro-structural devices or systems, biological material
1932-1058
1-16
Salta, Maria
9d62d115-8e0d-486d-ae46-c61f596aba85
Capretto, Lorenzo
0f3586b5-1560-49c1-a76b-59e74ea600ef
Carugo, Dario
0a4be6cd-e309-4ed8-a620-20256ce01179
Wharton, Julian A.
965a38fd-d2bc-4a19-a08c-2d4e036aa96b
Stokes, Keith R.
5fb4e7f7-2f7e-4e6e-a045-6d7690626695
Salta, Maria
9d62d115-8e0d-486d-ae46-c61f596aba85
Capretto, Lorenzo
0f3586b5-1560-49c1-a76b-59e74ea600ef
Carugo, Dario
0a4be6cd-e309-4ed8-a620-20256ce01179
Wharton, Julian A.
965a38fd-d2bc-4a19-a08c-2d4e036aa96b
Stokes, Keith R.
5fb4e7f7-2f7e-4e6e-a045-6d7690626695

Salta, Maria, Capretto, Lorenzo, Carugo, Dario, Wharton, Julian A. and Stokes, Keith R. (2013) Life under flow: a novel microfluidic device for the assessment of anti-biofilm technologies. Biomicrofluidics, 7 (6), 1-16, [064118]. (doi:10.1063/1.4850796). (PMID:PMC3888455)

Record type: Article

Abstract

In the current study, we have developed and fabricated a novel lab-on-a-chip device for the investigation of biofilm responses, such as attachment kinetics and initial biofilm formation, to different hydrodynamic conditions. The microfluidic flow channels are designed using computational fluid dynamic simulations so as to have a pre-defined, homogeneous wall shear stress in the channels, ranging from 0.03 to 4.30?Pa, which are relevant to in-service conditions on a ship hull, as well as other man-made marine platforms. Temporal variations of biofilm formation in the microfluidic device were assessed using time-lapse microscopy, nucleic acid staining, and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Differences in attachment kinetics were observed with increasing shear stress, i.e., with increasing shear stress there appeared to be a delay in bacterial attachment, i.e., at 55, 120, 150, and 155?min for 0.03, 0.60, 2.15, and 4.30?Pa, respectively. CLSM confirmed marked variations in colony architecture, i.e.,: (i) lower shear stresses resulted in biofilms with distinctive morphologies mainly characterised by mushroom-like structures, interstitial channels, and internal voids, and (ii) for the higher shear stresses compact clusters with large interspaces between them were formed. The key advantage of the developed microfluidic device is the combination of three architectural features in one device, i.e., an open-system design, channel replication, and multiple fully developed shear stresses.

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Published date: 23 December 2013
Keywords: micro-structural devices or systems, biological material
Organisations: Bioengineering Group, Mechatronics, nCATS Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 360423
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/360423
ISSN: 1932-1058
PURE UUID: f85f6fbf-de98-4b82-be22-61c576766cce
ORCID for Julian A. Wharton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3439-017X

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Date deposited: 09 Dec 2013 09:51
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:58

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Contributors

Author: Maria Salta
Author: Lorenzo Capretto
Author: Dario Carugo
Author: Keith R. Stokes

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