Integrating acoustic microfluidics with spectroscopic analysis for efficient bacterial lysis and molecular characterisation

Rapid and efficient bacterial lysis is crucial for point-of-care diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and integrated analytical platforms. However, conventional lysis methods often involve trade-offs between lysis efficiency, biomolecule integrity, and workflow complexity. Here, we present a reagent-free, non-thermal acoustofluidic platform that uses bulk acoustic waves (BAWs) to rapidly lyse both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria via high energy acoustic streaming and localised shear forces. The method achieved lysis efficiencies of ∼82 % for Escherichia coli and ∼50 % for Enterococcus faecalis within milliseconds, evaluated by colony counting, live/dead imaging, and DNA quantification. We integrated Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy for downstream biomolecular characterisation, revealing enhanced spectral intensities of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids following lysis. PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene and protein quantification further confirmed the integrity and compatibility of lysed samples with standard downstream assays. This streamlined, reagent-free, and scalable approach for bacterial cell disruption minimises sample preparation and contamination risks, making it ideal for miniaturised, integrated platforms. With applications in clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring, our approach demonstrates the potential to overcome current challenges in bacterial lysis and molecular analysis.