TY  - JOUR
AU  - Srimongkon, Tithimanan 
AU  - Ishida, Takuya 
AU  - Igarashi, Kiyohiko 
AU  - Enomae, Toshiharu 
PY  - 2014
TI  - DEVELOPMENT OF A BACTERIAL CULTURE SYSTEM USING A PAPER PLATFORM TO ACCOMMODATE MEDIA AND AN INK-JET PRINTING TO DISPENSE BACTERIA
JF  - American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology
VL  - 10
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.3844/ajbbsp.2014.81.87
UR  - https://thescipub.com/abstract/ajbbsp.2014.81.87
AB  - Generally, bacterial culture is performed manually and is subject to error. Here, we created a novel, well-ordered and reliable system for dispensing bacteria microscopically by using paper and an ink-jet printer for controlled patterning. For paper to accommodate a culture medium, hydrophobic/hydrophilic patterns were incorporated onto the paper by immersing paper in a toluene solution of polystyrene and drying for complete hydrophobization, followed by etching discrete, small areas of hydrophilicity by ink-jet printing with toluene. Agar was hydrolyzed with sulfuric acid for appropriate viscosity and dispensed with an ink-jet printer. In a separate experiment, bacterial cells were sequentially printed on a medium and colonies were observed microscopically. The results of this experiment ensured the successful dispensing of bacteria using ink-jet printing. An almost constant number of particles per droplet were ejected using a polystyrene latex as a model of bacterial dispersion. Consequently, we expect this technology to be adapted for the development of a paper-based bioassay system.