Author Date

2025-03-15

Degree Name

BS

Department

Chemical Engineering

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Defense Date

2025-03-07

Publication Date

2025-03-15

First Faculty Advisor

William G. Pitt

First Faculty Reader

Gregory P. Nordin

Second Faculty Reader

Kenneth A. Christensen

Honors Coordinator

William G. Pitt

Keywords

microfluidics, droplet, antibiotic susceptibility test, bacterial growth, fluorophilic surface treatment, incubator, heavy mineral oil

Abstract

This study is part of an ongoing project to develop a rapid antibiotic susceptibility test using 3D-printed microfluidic devices to reduce the wait-time for patients with blood infections to receive treatment. My goal was to reduce the cytotoxicity of 3D-printed poly(ethylene) glycol diacrylate microfluidic devices and select an oil suitable for bacterial growth and droplet generation for encapsulation of bacteria in a rapid antibiotic susceptibility test. I tested the growth of Escherichia coli containing a plasmid coding for green fluorescent protein in different environments to assess what factors most affected its growth in microfluidic devices. I found that a 12-hour isopropyl alcohol wash could be used to remove the cytotoxicity of 3D printed microfluidic devices, and that neither oxygenated nor unoxygenated heavy mineral oil is suitable for bacterial growth, presumably due to its low oxygen solubility. I also developed treatment that adds a fluorophilic surface to the interior of microfluidic devices and built an onstage microscope incubator and microscope coordinate system to facilitate accurate data collection from experiments. These findings and technologies can be used to make 3D printed poly(ethylene) glycol diacrylate microfluidic devices safe and reliable to use for performing rapid antibiotic susceptibility tests, thereby improving antibiotic prescriptions for patients with bacterial infections.

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