A cellular motor driven microfluidic system

Abstract

We are designing and fabricating a microfluidic pump that is controlled and driven by biological cellular motors. This novel pump is realized through the integration of a harmless strain of Escherichia coli cells with a MEMS-based microfluidic channel. In a free-moving state, each E. coli cell 'swims' by rotating its flagella, driven at the base by a rotary motor. When the cell is attached to a surface through a single shortened flagellar filament, the motor turns the whole cell body at a high rotational speed. Our micro pump utilizes this mechanism to transport liquid in a microfluidic channel through viscous pumping. This paper describes our effort in two critical areas in the pump development process: microfluidic flow simulations and cell tethering experiments in a micro channel.