BiofilmA structured microbial community attached to a surface, typically more tolerant to antibiotics/biocides than planktonic cells. assays, such as compound screening and host-pathogen interaction assessment, are often conducted in microtiter plates. Despite their throughput and convenience, biofilms grown in well-plates do not fully mature, thereby reducing the quality and relevance of higher content biofilm data, including morphology, compound penetration, and analysis of mixed species biofilm interactions. Here, we present the BioFlux shear flow systemA shear-flow platform compatible with inverted microscopes designed for running multiple parallel experiments in microfluidic plates with controlled flow., a microfluidic flow cell array that enables the growth of biofilms in precisely controlled conditions, including shear stressThe tangential force per unit area from flowing fluid; a key parameter in vascular biology, platelet function, leukocyte rolling, and biofilm adhesion studies., temperature, and environmental gas. P. fluorescens, P. aeuruginosa, P. gingivalis (under anaerobic conditions), and E. coli were grown under shear flowFluid movement that applies force to cells and biofilms; used to mimic physiological/pathological conditions. conditions. An antibiotic panel against P. fluorescens was used to generate compound profiling data using biofilm viability and viability of planktonic cells data streams. Interactions between P. aeruginosa with airway epithelial cells were imaged in real-time. Finally, microbial adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins under flow was assayed. Using this high-throughput approach enabled full maturation and attachment of biofilms for physiologically relevant analysis.
Authors: Carolyn G. Conant, Mike Schwartz, Cristian Ionescu-Zanetti
Cell Microsystems, Inc. Durham, NC USA
