{
  "abstract": "Growth-induced pressure arises when proliferating cell populations are confined within rigid microenvironments and is increasingly recognized as a determinant of microbial physiology in soils, biofilms, and host tissues. We present two complementary microfluidic devices that confine microbes within polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chambers and apply defined, optically read-out growth-induced pressure of up to 1.5 MPa. The first, the self-closing (SC) chip, confines cells in multiple small chambers accommodating hundreds of cells; it provides excellent nutrient supply and rapid medium exchange, supports single-cell imaging, and allows multiplexing of cellular or chemical conditions. The second, the pressure-recovery (PR) chip, confines cells in a single 5 cm-long chamber accommodating hundreds of thousands of cells; a scalpel-cut step recovers live cells from the channel within minutes for bulk biochemical assays. The two devices share a single two-layer soft-lithography fabrication process and a common brightfield wall-displacement pressure readout. Together, they enable single-cell imaging and bulk biochemical analysis under matched, defined pressure conditions. We illustrate the protocol with two representative validations: rapid {beta}-estradiol-induced transcription in the SC chip, in which nascent transcription foci appear within 5 min independently of the applied pressure, and the PR chip, which produces uniform growth-induced pressure along the entire 5 cm channel and recovers between 0.1x10^6 and 1x10^6 cells per device in a pressure-tunable manner.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems, CNRS, Universite de Toulouse, Toulouse, France"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "H. Kim"
    },
    {
      "name": "N. Nguyen"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. Alric"
    },
    {
      "name": "L. Albert"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "M. Delarue"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9wfpbbtnwabc5.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.06.749717",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.06.749717v1.full",
  "id": "9wfpbbtnwabc5",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.06.749717v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "biophysics"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2204|Microfluidic and Capillary Electrophoresis Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212194194",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.06.749717v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-06",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9wfpbbtnwabc5.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:04Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.06.749717",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.06.749717v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "biorxiv:biophysics",
      "subfield": "biophysics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Microfluidic Devices for Imaging and Biochemistry Analysis of Microbes Under Mechanical Pressure",
  "title_text": "Microfluidic Devices for Imaging and Biochemistry Analysis of Microbes Under Mechanical Pressure",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:21:04Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9wfpbbtnwabc5",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}