Method and apparatus for rapid detection of bacterial contamination

A method of detecting the presence of viable cells in a sample, said method comprising:

• loading the sample in a microfluidic cassette, wherein the microfluidic cassette is used to separate the sample into two portions, a sample portion and a sample-derived negative control portion;
• and
• detecting a physical property of the sample portion and the sample-derived negative control portion and comparing same to determine a differential rate, wherein the differential rate is indicative of the presence of viable cells in the sample,
• wherein the microfluidic cassette comprises an inlet channel that splits into a sample channel and a sample-derived negative control channel, wherein the sample channel is communicatively connected to a sample chamber and the sample-derived negative control channel is communicatively connected to at least one sample-derived negative control chamber, wherein the inlet channel comprises an inlet port upstream of the split, a first port downstream of the sample chamber, and a second port downstream of the sample-derived negative control chamber(s), and wherein the microfluidic cassette comprises a filter along the sample-derived negative control channel positioned between the split and the sample-derived negative control chamber(s).