Standalone self-compartmentalizing microfluidic chip for digital single-cell antimicrobial susceptibility testing
Issued Date
2026-01-15
Resource Type
ISSN
07317085
eISSN
1873264X
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105018220330
Pubmed ID
41072357
Journal Title
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis
Volume
268
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis Vol.268 (2026)
Suggested Citation
Jakaratanopas S., Lin B., Nasongkla N., Pongchaikul P., Liu P., Athamanolap P. Standalone self-compartmentalizing microfluidic chip for digital single-cell antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis Vol.268 (2026). doi:10.1016/j.jpba.2025.117183 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/114342
Title
Standalone self-compartmentalizing microfluidic chip for digital single-cell antimicrobial susceptibility testing
Author's Affiliation
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
The growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria calls for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) methods that are both rapid and accessible. In this study, we demonstrate a novel approach to digital cell-based AST that leverages a passive microfluidic picochamber array to quantify bacterial growth and determine drug susceptibility at single-cell resolution. By combining stochastic confinement of individual E. coli cells with resazurin-based fluorescence detection, we establish a streamlined workflow for rapid phenotypic AST without the need for specialized equipment. The device uses capillary burst valves to autonomously guide fluid into 12,800 picoliter-sized chambers, enabling sample loading and partitioning using only a pipette and syringe. This method enables quantification of viable bacterial concentrations and determination of gentamicin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) breakpoints within 4 h. To evaluate its clinical potential, we tested ten clinical isolates and achieved 100 % categorical agreement with standard laboratory AST results. This work highlights a user-friendly and scalable strategy for digital AST, paving the way for broader applications in clinical diagnostics and resource-limited settings.