Quick response to the spread of superbugs is possible with a microfluidic nanodevice designed to isolate and Image shows bacterial cells trapped in a 3D microbead matrix. Source: Wenrong He/Rochester Institute of Technologyidentify drug-resistant bacteria in bodily fluid samples. The device developed by an international research team was demonstrated to effectively trap, concentrate and retrieve E. coli in blood.

The microfluidic tool is packed with magnetic beads arranged to form small voids which physically isolate bacteria. A capture efficiency of about 86% and a flow rate of 50 μL/min was documented by including magnetic beads of different sizes. E. coli samples are retrieved and concentrated from the suspension by applying a higher flow rate followed by rapid magnetic separation. The researchers also achieved an on-chip concentration factor of ∼11x by inputting 1,300 μL of the E. coli sample and then concentrating it in 100 μL of buffer.

Researchers from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, University of Alabama, Carollo Engineers (Seattle), Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (China) and The State University of New York, Binghamton contributed to device development. The team is now directing efforts toward integrating multiple devices onto a small chip and scaling up testing in the field.