I finished my master studies in mechanical engineering at the TU Braunschweig this year and am now continuing the efforts of my master thesis as a research associate at the Institute of Microtechnology (IMT) and the Institute for Particle Technology (IPAT). My research deals with the Micromechanical characterization of filamentous microorganisms.
Filamentous microorganisms are of special interest in biotechnological and pharmaceutical research. While many of them are used as important production systems for any kind of chemical compounds such as citric acids for beverages or even pharmaceutically active compounds for drugs, others pose a high risks as human pathogen and can cause serious fungal infections. An interesting marker, which can be used for the optimization of the cultivation process as well as the development of new antifungal drugs, are the mechanical properties of the individual fungal hyphae. Microfluidics are a great tool for single cell testing, as it enables their isolation, immobilization and actuation. This research project focuses on the design, fabrication and application of a microfluidic chip for the measurement of the cells’ bending stiffness. The methodology utilizes fluid induced forces inside a microchannel to bend the hyphae and calculate their bending stiffness from the observed deflection. This involves precise flow measurements to calibrate the induced force on the filaments.