EUBCE 2026 - Sajani PIYATILLEKE - Low-Energy Microalgal Cell Rupture by Augmented Osmotic Swelling (AOS): Single-Cell Analysis Using Microfluidic Trap Arrays

Low-Energy Microalgal Cell Rupture by Augmented Osmotic Swelling (AOS): Single-Cell Analysis Using Microfluidic Trap Arrays

Short Introductive summary

Microalgae can be grown as a hyper-productive crop that can serve as a sustainable feedstock for fuels, chemicals and food. Accessing valuable intracellular proteins and lipids requires scalable and highly efficient cell rupture methods, which remains a challenge due to the strength of the cell walls. Marine microalgal species have physiologically evolved to achieve optimal growth in seawater. While some marine microalgae can survive large salinity swings, others are more vulnerable. Thus, in this study, we explore the possibility of exploiting susceptibility to salinity fluctuations as an efficient, low-cost, low energy means of cell rupture that could be used either as a pretreatment method or as a standalone process. Osmotic shock has been scrutinized for its applicability in cell disruption; however, existing studies have been limited to either a standalone increase or decrease in salinity, which have had limited success. Here we test an approach of augmented osmotic swelling, i.e. a sequential increase and decrease of salinity to intensify the mechanical stresses and better facilitate cell rupture.

S. Piyatilleke, University of Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Z. Trifunovich, University of Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
D. Collins, University of Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
G. Martin, University of Melbourne, AUSTRALIA