Paper Title
Rapid Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing using a Micro-Engineered Sensor and Electronic Platform

Abstract
Abstract - The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance is a global healthcare concern. Incorrect prescription of antibiotics and the indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics is a major cause of antibiotic resistance-related mortality worldwide. Conventional techniques used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of a drug against the bacteria are time-consuming (24-48 h) and prone to false-negative results. There is an urgent need to develop a point-of-care antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) platform for detecting pathogens and rapidly (<120 minutes) identifying the efficacy of the antibiotics. Here, we report a microchip consisting of interdigitated electrodes inside a microwell for rapid, real-time, and label-free antibiotic susceptibility testing based on electrical sensing modality. A portable impedance analyzer with a port for holding the microchip for AST testing is also developed. We have used E. coli as a clinical model with ampicillin antibiotic to evaluate the performance of the microchip. The results from the microchips are compared with the conventional antibiogram assays and bacteria viability tests. Keywords – Micro fabrication, Antibiotic Resistance, Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing, Point-of-Care Platforms.