Research Council - backup mandate Pieterjan Vanden Boer - Development of a lung-on-a-chip platform and a lab-on-a-chip nanosensor for the in vitro study of host-pathogen interactions and as antibiotic/drug screening application.

The fast emergence of multiresistant bacteria, caused by extensive and sometimes unnecessary use of antibiotics, is a major challenge to society. To combat the rise of antimicrobial resistance research has to be focused on developing diagnostics and new antibiotics. For patients suffering from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder causing chronic airway infections, resistant bacteria are especially dangerous. Critical in bacterial infection is the adhesion to host tissue, which is often mediated by bacterial adhesins that recognize targets on host cells. We will investigate the adhesion mechanism of the cystic fibrosis bacteria Stenotrophomon maltophilia. Various micro-electro-mechanical-system based techniques will be used to measure at singe molecule or single cell level. We will attach lung cells on micropatterns, inducing cells to adapt their shape. This normalizes their response and simplifies the study of the bacterial adhesion on lung cells. Furthermore will micropatterns be implemented on a lung-on-a-chip, creating a microenvironment more similar to the real life situation. This platform will be more relevant to study host-pathogen interactions. Additionally a sensor to detect nanoscale vibrations, created by living bacteria, will be developed. The nanosensor, capable of measuring the metabolic state of bacteria in a high throughput and ultra-fast manner ,will be used to study the host-pathogen interaction and to detect the susceptibility of pathogens to antibiotics.