Microstructure Capture and Release of Microorganisms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for isolating microorganisms from various environments, such as blood, tissues, and natural samples, are time-consuming and inefficient, particularly in diagnosing septicemia and performing antibiotic susceptibility testing, as they require lengthy culture times and are not effective for isolating microorganisms present in small quantities.
Innovation Solution
Microstructures with a surface area suitable for attaching and detaching microorganisms via a protein coating, specifically using mannose-binding lectin (MBL) for controlled attachment and detachment, allowing for rapid capture and release of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, by varying environmental conditions like calcium ion concentration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional plating methods on agar media are used for pure culture, then microorganisms can be isolated and cultured, but the culture time requires 16 to 24 hours which is too long for rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the culture process by first capturing microorganisms on a solid support (agar-coated slide) to concentrate them, then transferring to liquid media for rapid amplification. This two-stage approach separates the isolation function from the amplification function, enabling rapid growth without sacrificing isolation effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary concentration of microorganisms on the agar-coated slide before transferring to liquid media. By pre-concentrating the microorganisms on a small area, the subsequent liquid culture starts with a higher initial concentration, dramatically reducing the time needed to reach detectable levels while maintaining reliable isolation.
2Productivity
If conventional liquid blood culture media are used, then microorganisms can be cultured, but microorganisms present in very small quantities in environments are not easy to isolate and require time-consuming culturing processes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the culture system into a concentration stage (agar-coated slide capturing microorganisms from large volume) and an amplification stage (liquid media). This allows efficient capture of low-concentration microorganisms from environmental samples by concentrating them on a small agar surface area before transfer to liquid media for rapid growth.
Solution Approach 2:
The agar-coated slide acts as an intermediary device that bridges the gap between environmental sampling and liquid culture. It provides a surface for initial microorganism capture and concentration, enabling the subsequent liquid culture to start with sufficient cell density for rapid detection, thus solving the problem of isolating low-concentration microorganisms.
3Reliability
If blood culture testing is performed using conventional methods, then causative organisms can be identified, but the lengthy culture time remarkably deteriorates the therapeutic effect on bacterial septicemia
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary concentration of blood culture microorganisms on an agar-coated slide before transferring to liquid media for amplification. This preliminary capture step ensures that even low-concentration causative organisms are concentrated and retained, maintaining diagnostic accuracy while enabling rapid subsequent growth in liquid media that dramatically reduces culture time for septicemia diagnosis.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the blood culture process into capture (agar slide), amplification (liquid media), and detection phases. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high diagnostic accuracy through reliable capture of causative organisms while achieving rapid results through efficient liquid-phase amplification, thereby reducing the time loss that deteriorates therapeutic effect.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method significantly reduces the time required for culturing microorganisms, enabling rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing and efficient isolation from various environments, improving culture efficiency and allowing for the capture of a wide range of microorganisms, including those present in low concentrations, within a shorter timeframe compared to conventional methods.
Implementation Method 1
a protein coated on the microstructures and capable of attachment/detachment of the microorganisms by artificial control... by varying environmental conditions like calcium ion concentration
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for capture and release of microorganisms using microstructures. The method includes providing microstructures coated with a protein for attachment/detachment of microorganisms, mixing the microstructures with a solution containing substances assisting in attachment of microorganisms in a solution containing microorganisms to prepare a mixed solution, stirring the mixed solution to attach the microorganisms to the microstructures, separating the microorganism-attached microstructures from the mixed solution; and exposing the microstructures to an environment where the substances assisting in attachment of the microorganisms are present at a low concentration to detach the microorganisms from the microstructures.