A SELF-ACTUATING, MAGNETIC MICROFLUIDIC PLATFORM FOR RAPID COLORIMETRIC & FLUORESCENCE PATHOGEN DETECTION AND AST AT THE POINT-OF-CARE UTI DIAGNOSIS

Author

• Anadil Faruque, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Biomedical Engineering

First Advisor

Li, Hui

Abstract

The escalating prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among uropathogens is a critical global health challenge, driven largely by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Current diagnostic workflows rely on centralized laboratories and require several days to deliver results, forcing clinicians to rely on empirical, often inappropriate, antibiotic prescriptions. To address this diagnostic gap, we developed a rapid, standalone microfluidic system capable of performing phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination directly from clinical urine samples. The system features a disposable microwell cartridge that utilizes a novel capillary-driven partitioning mechanism and a magnetic sealing actuator to create parallelized AST conditions across multiple antibiotic concentrations without external pumps or valves. Bacterial metabolic activity is monitored via a resazurin-based colorimetric assay using a smartphone imaging interface. The platform was validated using Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and three uropathogenic E. coli clinical isolates, delivering interpretable resistance profiles within 4.5 h and MIC endpoints within 6.5 h. A pilot study utilizing 20 clinical urine specimens yielded 100% sensitivity and 88.9% specificity for bacterial detection, alongside 100% categorical agreement and 91.7% essential agreement with clinical microbiology reports and standard Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth microdilution methods. This system offers a scalable, sample-to-answer solution for decentralized antibiotic stewardship in outpatient and resource-limited settings.