A microfluidic platform for automated phenotyping during full lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans at high-throughput

We present a multiplexed and automated microfluidic platform for phenotyping of C. elegans during their full lifespan and at high-throughput. We used the fluorescent hsp-6::gfp strain of worms and performed experiments to observe the effect of four different E. coli concentrations supplied for growth. We cultured worms in microfluidic chambers during their lifespan and quantified their motility. Nematodes were also confined at various time points inside tapered constriction channels for imaging to observe the mitochondrial stress, as expressed by fluorescence, and to measure their growth parameters as function of the amount of applied food.