Automated Open-Source Optical Nanomotion Platform for Rapid Phenotypic Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

We report a fully integrated, low-cost, autonomous optical nanomotion analysis platform for rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The system combines a 3D-printed OpenFlexure microscope with Raspberry Pi-based autofocus, time-lapse acquisition, and onboard image processing. Nanomotion is quantified from frame-to-frame intensity fluctuations in detected single cells, without labels or external computation. Antibiotic-sensitive strains show a marked reduction in nanomotion within 2–3 h, whereas resistant strains maintain stable signals. Dose–response and nutrient-modulation experiments confirm that the signal reflects metabolic activity. This platform enables scalable, growth-independent phenotypic testing for decentralized and resource-limited settings.

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Publication Details

Journal
ACS Applied Engineering Materials
Published
2026-04-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaenm.6c00218
Primary Topic
Micro and Nano Robotics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Automated Open-Source Optical Nanomotion Platform for Rapid Phenotypic Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Pierre Marquet, Sandor Kasas, Ronnie Willaert, María Inés Villalba et al.
ACS Applied Engineering Materials
Micro and Nano Robotics
article

Automated Open-Source Optical Nanomotion Platform for Rapid Phenotypic Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Pierre Marquet, Sandor Kasas, Ronnie Willaert, María Inés Villalba, Vjera Radonicic, Mathieu Ribeaud
article en

Abstract

We report a fully integrated, low-cost, autonomous optical nanomotion analysis platform for rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The system combines a 3D-printed OpenFlexure microscope with Raspberry Pi-based autofocus, time-lapse acquisition, and onboard image processing. Nanomotion is quantified from frame-to-frame intensity fluctuations in detected single cells, without labels or external computation. Antibiotic-sensitive strains show a marked reduction in nanomotion within 2–3 h, whereas resistant strains maintain stable signals. Dose–response and nutrient-modulation experiments confirm that the signal reflects metabolic activity. This platform enables scalable, growth-independent phenotypic testing for decentralized and resource-limited settings.

ACS Applied Engineering MaterialsVol. 4(4)
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE), National Alliance on Mental Illness (US), NeuroDevelopment Center (US), Center for Neurosciences (US), University Centre of Legal Medicine (CH), Psychiatric Medical Center (AM), Austrian Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis (AT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH), University of Lausanne (CH)
European Space Agency, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Belgian Federal Science Policy Office, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Université de Lausanne
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Micro and Nano Robotics
DOISourceOpenAlex
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