How a flow cell works...

Over the next few years I am going to be studying how my bacterium Pseudomonas grows whilst it is attached to surfaces (a biofilm) and the underlying genetics of it all. Flow cells allow us to watch biofilms grow in real time and observe how changes in the bacterium affect it. This may help us devise better treatments for people with infections or prevent bacteria causing problems in the world of industry.

I thought I would introduce you to the flow cell and how it works. This is probably as close as you are going to get to bubbling coloured flasks and test tubes like in the movies. The Flow Cell model we are using is going to be the basis of a lot of my future work and is a very nice system.


These bottles hold a dilute nutrient solution that my bacteria are going to live in and feed off. The tubes are all sterile and lead to....
.... the pump, which slowly draws out the fluid at about 5 millilitres per hour. This leads to....
The flow cell itself. Fluid is being pumped in on the left and out on the right. Lots of acrylic, silicone and PTFE tape ensure there are no leaks through the three channels that are covered by a thin glass coverslip. We can then inject a few bacteria into the flowcell and watch them grow on the glass by putting the whole thing under the microscope. To end the journey, the fluid then flows out of the flow cell and into...

... the waste container. And finally....

This is where the bacteria go to die. Our very own fancy autoclave that heats up under pressure to kill all the bacteria so we can throw them away.

More pictures of my little bacteria under the microscope to follow soon...