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Simon Fraser University engineering science researchers, collaborating with two research institutes in India, have created a simple and expedient way to treat bacteria-infected newborns in rural India – potentially saving lives in the process.

Working with researchers at Bangalore’s Raman Research Institute and the Centre for Biotechnology at Anna University in Chennai, SFU professor Ash Parameswaran and a trio of graduate students have developed a class of plastic microfluidic chips that can determine the right antibiotic within a few hours - with the aid of a simple LED light source.

With testing carried out in labs that are many miles away, the process of nailing down the correct antibiotic can take days, given rural India’s transportation challenges.

The microfluidic chips contain tiny chambers to hold bacteria samples (from the feces) along with a food mixture containing the antibiotic and a dye material, which the bacteria consume.

“The bacteria consumes the food in the presence of the antibiotic and the digestion byproduct can be seen using the fluorescence technique,” Parameswaran explains. “If the bacteria live in spite of the antibiotic, then that sample glows green. If the antibiotic is effective then the bacteria dies and that sample does not glow.

“This is a simple text book approach called an ‘antibiogram.’ We’ve simply implemented the approach on a small and compact microfluidic chip.“

The idea took root after Parameswaran gave a series of talks two years ago to local Indian institutions on the developments and capabilities of SFU, the school of engineering’s microfabrication research and his group's plastic microfluidics technology.

There are eight different antibiotics available to address infantile diarrhea in developing countries. “It’s a well-known fact that the doctors have to administer the correct antibiotic for the type of bacteria that has infected the infant,” Parameswaran explains.

“In a resource limited environment, the doctors either have to send the sample to a centralized testing facility, which can take several days, or make an educated judgment and administer an antibiotic cocktail.”

Both have serious negative and occasionally fatal consequences. “Researchers in India wondered if the microfluidics technology could be put to a rapid testing protocol, addressing the needs of developing countries in terms of manufacturing technology as well as the cost of the system,” says Parameswaran.

The proposal received seed money from the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute. SFU graduate students Mona Rahbar and Suman Chhina developed the first set of prototypes, which were tested in labs in India last year.

With the help of the seed funding, the researchers from India visited SFU and spent two weeks working with the graduate students and performing tests using non-pathogenic bacterial strains provided by SFU researcher Fiona Brinkman.

The prototype chips were then tested in India using the real bacterial strains and the results helped formulate the next generation of chips, which have been developed by the SFU graduate students. The new chips been sent to India for more detailed testing and will possibly move on to field trial.

Of note:

Parameswaran and his research group recently showcased the research at a meeting in Vancouver with former India President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who is also the scientific director of India’s Department of Science and Technology.

“He was impressed by the promise of this research and the outcome so far,” says Parameswaran.

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