Bioreactors are usually used to control the growth of microorganisms or cells for pharmaceutical research and drug development. However, no bioreactor currently available in the market can provide in vivo-like conditions in a high throughput standard microtiter format. Moreover, they require significant modifications of the well-plate to achieve perfusion which make them bulky, expensive, and incompatible with common optical analysis techniques.
Researchers at GW have developed a high throughput microfluidic perfusion bioreactor compatible with the standard 96-well micro titer plate and in situ optical evaluation techniques. The system includes multiple subsystems including a fluid reservoir, piezoelectric micro pump, flow rate sensor, 96-well plate cover, and electronic controls. It also fits within a standard laboratory incubator and biosafety cabinet. Samples cultured in this bioreactor showed increased biomass while maintaining viability after 24 hours. This bioreactor can further be combined with high throughput antibiotic susceptibility testing and additional optical techniques to improve understanding of the drug reaction mechanism as well as the optimization of drug combinations and delivery profiles. Currently, this technology is in the stage of prototyping.
Design and details of the microfluidic plate cover. (a) Exploded view of the microfluidic plate cover with a standard 96-well microplate. (b) 3D Schematic closeup illustration of the microfluidic plate cover (c) 2D Schematic side illustration of the microfluidic plate cover
McLeod, D., Wei, L. & Li, Z. A standard 96-well based high throughput microfluidic perfusion biofilm reactor for in situ optical analysis. Biomed Microdevices 25, 26 (2023).
• High throughput, customizable flow conditions • Superior flexibility for analysis options • No modifications required to the standard 96 well plate • Allows for chronic and real time microscopic evaluation • Designed to fit within a standard laboratory incubator and biosafety cabinet
• Biofilm Reactor • Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies • Antibiotic susceptibility testing • Drug development • Fundamental biological research • Cell culture • Tissue engineering • Biomanufacturing