Screening of single Escherichia coli by electric field and laser tweezer

In this paper, we propose a novel methodology for high throughput screening of microbes. We have developed a prototype of a microchannel system for high throughput screening of Escherichia coli. Experimental demonstrations of noncontact transportation and manipulation of Escherichia coli by dielectrophoretic force and radiation pressure of laser tweezers were carried out with a laser manipulator system. We discuss research issues in bio-micromanipulation and present a new direction in this field. We consider the basic strategies to improve the working efficiency and the operability of bio-micromanipulation. In experiments, we show that transportation and separation of Escherichia coli with electric field and optical radiation pressure is profitable for future practical application in high throughput screening of microbes.