Laboratory Activity Using Accessible Microfluidics to Study Nematode Behavior in an Electrical Field

Abstract

Microfluidic devices are used in a broad range of technological applications, from creating ingredients for cosmetics to discovering new medicines. The small size of microfluidic channels makes it possible to isolate individual cells, collections of cells, and multicellular organisms and study their biology, ecology, and behavior. Microfluidics is particularly well suited to teaching students concepts from different fields of science. A challenge with conventional microfluidic devices is that they are difficult and expensive to make, which has been a barrier for their entry into curricula and classrooms. We describe a simple and low-cost method for creating microfluidic devices and use them to study the behavior of nematodes in an electrical field. Nematodes are ecologically and agriculturally important organisms that respond robustly to various environmental cues. In this activity, we demonstrate that nematodes swim through liquid in microfluidic channels in response to an applied electric field and describe student responses to this activity.