Quantification of colloidal filtration of polystyrene micro-particles on glass substrate using a microfluidic device.

A microfluidic device was designed to investigate filtration of particles in an electrolyte in the presence of liquid flow. Polystyrene spheres in potassium chloride solution at concentrations of 3-100 mM were allowed to settle and adhere to a glass substrate. A particle free solution at the same concentration was then flushed through the microfluidic channel at 0.

Isolation of microorganisms using sub-micrometer constrictions.

We present an automated method for isolating pure bacterial cultures from samples containing multiple species that exploits the cell's own physiology to perform the separation. Cells compete to reach a chamber containing nutrients via a constriction whose cross-sectional area only permits a single cell to enter, thereby blocking the opening and preventing other cells from entering. The winning cell divides across the constriction and its progeny populate the chamber.

Using surface plasmon resonance imaging to study bacterial biofilms.

This paper describes the use of Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging (SPRi) as an emerging technique to study bacterial physiology in real-time without labels. The overwhelming majority of bacteria on earth exist in large multicellular communities known as biofilms. Biofilms are especially problematic because they facilitate the survival of pathogens, leading to chronic and recurring infections as well as costly industrial complications.