A bacterial biofilm combination treatment using a real-time microfluidic platform

We report the results of a biofilm treatment using a small molecule inhibitor in combination with electric fields, completely eliminating the need for antibiotics. We utilize a real-time high-throughput biofilm analysis platform to quantify the treatment efficacy. A linear array chargecoupled device enables real-time tracking of biomass by monitoring the change in optical density. Biofilms grown in this platform exhibit only an 8.5% variation in biomass as compared to previously reported 68% variation. Mature biofilms treated with this combination therapy showed a ~75% decrease in biofilm thickness. We demonstrate the high-throughput capability of the platform and the spatiotemporal monitoring capacity of the system by tracking the growth and treatment of biofilms when subjected to the combination treatment in real-time.