Adhesion Strength
and biofilm binding specificity
Once planktonic microbial cells form a biofilm, it gets more and more difficult to destroy those microbes. Biofilms can adhere to biotic and abiotic surfaces as a defense mechanism against antimicrobial compounds and other external dangers.
With the BioFlux, analyzing biofilm adhesion is simple. Controlled, shear flow is used to treat biofilms with antimicrobial compounds, biosurfactants, or other solutions that alter adhesion.
P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and co-culture of both stains were grown on BioFlux plates for 48 hours (A, C, and E, respectively). They were then treated with rhamnolipids and sophorolipids, both known biosurfactants, which disrupted the biofilm formation and adhesion (B, D, F). Viable cells stained green and dead cells stained red (Banat et al., 2016).
Key BioFlux Advantages For Adhesion Strength Studies
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Accurately control shear forces to quantify bacterial adhesion
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Microfluidic design allows for minimal media usage, contributing to longer experiments and more time for shear-enhanced flow analysis
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Use biosurfactants, antimicrobial compounds, etc. to inhibit biofilm formation and adherence under flow
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Perform binding assays and measure the binding specificity of microbial surface proteins in a microfluidic channel