Tiny device gauges ocean cell health with electrical field

Described in Scientific Reports, the portable tool could be used to assess microbes, screen for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and analyse algae that live in coral reefs. The device is able to quickly distinguish whether a cell is stressed, robust or unaffected by environmental conditions. Microbes pass single file through a micro-channel that’s thinner than a human hair, with the impedance - the amount an electrical field is perturbed when a cell passes through the channel - measured. Variations in impedance across a population reflect size and physiological state, both of which provide important indicators of health.

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"This is very important for environmental biology, given the effects of climate change and other stressors on the health of microorganisms, such as algae that form harmful blooms, in the ecosystem," said senior author Mehdi Javanmard, an associate professor at Rutgers’ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.