Patent ID: 9714420
Date: 2017-07-25
CPC Classifications: B03C,C12M,C12N,C12Q,G01N,G02B

Claim:
1. A method of quantifying growth of one or more purified microorganisms, comprising: adding a sample containing contaminants and one or more microorganisms to a well disposed in a porous medium; applying an electrical potential across the medium to cause the contaminants to enter the porous medium through one or more walls of the well while retaining the one or more microorganisms in the well; reversing the electrical potential for a sufficient time to displace the one or more microorganisms from a surface of the one or more walls of the well in the porous medium, thereby purifying the one or more microorganisms; introducing the one or more purified microorganisms to a flow cell; embedding the one or more purified microorganisms in an embedding medium, thereby immobilizing the one or more microorganisms in the flow cell; imaging the one or more purified microorganisms using automated digital microscopy; and quantifying growth of the one or more purified microorganisms over a period of time using imaging data.