VersaDrop - Versatile droplet handling and analysis for deeper microbial sample screening

In the VersaDrop project, a digital microfluidic platform is being developed that makes the handling of picolitre droplets containing microbial cultures even more flexible for high throughput approaches. By high-throughput testing of many different growth conditions in a single experiment, the search for new drugs against infectious diseases will become much more efficient. As a further development of the pure activity screening established in the FastDrop project (identification phase), it will enable drop division, upscaling, long-term storage, observation and controlled droplet positioning for photonic and spectroscopic analysis. Rapid activity screening in combination with slow multiparameter functional screenings should minimize the rate of rediscoveries already in the platform in order to get faster from a hit to the new lead substance.