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.

Participating Scientists

Prof. Dr. Miriam Agler-Rosenbaum

Prof. Dr. Miriam Agler-Rosenbaum

Project Coordinator

Leibniz-HKI • Bio Pilot Plant

miriam.rosenbaum@leibniz-hki.de

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp

Principal Investigator

Leibniz-IPHT • Spectroscopy / Imaging

juergen.popp@leibniz-ipht.de

Prof. Dr. Andreas Tünnermann

Prof. Dr. Andreas Tünnermann

Principal Investigator

Fraunhofer-IOF • Laser Technologies

andreas.tuennermann@iof.fraunhofer.de

Dr. Erik Beckert

Dr. Erik Beckert

Principal Investigator

Fraunhofer-IOF • Beam shaping optics for semiconductor lasers

erik.beckert@iof.fraunhofer.de

Dr. Thomas Bocklitz

Dr. Thomas Bocklitz

Principal Investigator

FSU • Statistical Modelling and Image Analysis

thomas.bocklitz@uni-jena.de

Tobias Meyer

Dr. Tobias Meyer

Principal Investigator

Leibniz-IPHT • Spectroscopy / Imaging

tobias.meyer@leibniz-ipht.de

Dr. Sven Schröder

Dr. Sven Schröder

Principal Investigator

Fraunhofer-IOF • Surface and layer characterization

sven.schroeder@iof.fraunhofer.de

Falk Kemper

Falk Kemper

Doctoral student

Fraunhofer-IOF • 3D print technologies

falk.kemper@iof.fraunhofer.de

Anne-Sophie Munser

Anne-Sophie Munser

Doctoral student

Fraunhofer-IOF • Surface and layer characterization

anne-sophie.munser@jsmc.info

Fabian Ott

Fabian Ott

Doctoral student

Leibniz-IPHT • Spectroscopy / Imaging

fabian.ott@leibniz-ipht.de

Platzhalter

Ashkan Samimi

Doctoral student

Leibniz-HKI • Bio Pilot Plant

ashkan.samimi@leibniz-hki.de