Wound Healing: Electrotaxis of Pathogenic Bacterial Cells Using Microfluidics

Wound Healing: Electrotaxis of Pathogenic Bacterial Cells Using Microfluidics

Electrotaxis or Galvanotaxis is the display of migration pattern of cells towards varying electrical potential. Although electrotaxis has been extensively studied for mammalian cells, there have been no in-depth investigations of electrotaxis of bacterial cells, i.e., more specifically pathogenic bacterium. From the BioNano Lab of University of Guelph, we have designed and fabricated nanoporous microfluidic platforms using photolithography and soft lithography techniques for investigating the motility dynamics of single cells of pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii to varying electrical potential and wound healing chemical agents. The orientation and migratory behaviour of single cells such as velocity, migration index, trajectories to varying strengths of multi-cue such as electric field and chemical concentrations  were systematically characterized using a series of experiments. The results of this project provides novel insights and strategies towards development of electroceutical solutions with applications for wound healing, prevention of biofouling in dairy-food processing, and oil transport in petroleum industries. Coexisting electrical stimulation and chemical treatment could serve as a potential technique for rapid wound healing.

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Bionanotechnology Laboratory
Suresh Neethirajan

School of Engineering
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
Canada N1G 2W1

Office:
Room 3513 - Richards Building
50 Stone Road East

Lab: THRN 2133 BioNano Lab

Phone: (519) 824-4120 Ext 53922
Fax: (519) 836-0227

E-mail: [email protected]