A multi-channel microfluidic platform to study temporal-spatial investigation for niche roles between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli within a dual-species biofilm

In natural or man-made environments, microorganisms exist predominantly as biofilms as forming surface-associated bacterial communities embedded in extracellular polymeric substances. Here we demonstrated that a microfluidic device with multiple channels and a gradient generator can be useful for high-throughput analysis and real-time monitoring of dual-species biofilm formation and development. Our study revealed synergism in the dual-species biofilm. Furthermore, different species in a multispecies biofilm exhibit different niches for the survival of the biofilm community. This study showed that the integration of microfluidic device with microscopy analysis and molecular techniques could be a promising tool in studying biofilm structure and gene quantification and expression simultaneously.