Lynna Chen (MANALIS & DOYLE LABS)

Oil-isolated Hydrogel Microparticles for Bioassays

Encapsulating micron-scale objects, such as particles and cells, in independent aqueous droplets is useful for chemical and biological assays. We demonstrate a microfluidic platform to immobilize hydrogel microparticles and isolate them in monodisperse picolitre droplets within an immiscible oil with high efficiency. This enables time-lapse studies of reactions in confined volumes and may be applied towards nucleic acid and protein-based diagnostics.

Sean Kearney (ALM LAB)

Dormant Bacteria Resuscitate and Colonize the Human Gut Microbiota After Perturbation

The human gut microbiota is a dynamic ecosystem that must respond to perturbations of varying strength. Organisms that enter a dormant state known as an endospore dominate the composition of the human gut microbiome, but it is unknown if and how this state contributes to their transmission between hosts. We show that endospore-forming organisms and other resistant cells are more likely to be found in multiple hosts, and that this state contributes to dispersion into and resuscitation in new hosts following displacement of the native microbiota.