Biosensor and related method

A biosensor for generating a highest possible concentration of living microorganisms from a macroscopic sample and for detecting the concentrated living microorganisms in a minimal time, comprising:

• a substrate;
• a detection chamber disposed on said substrate and defining a volume between 1 pico-liter and 1 micro-liter;
• micro-spheres with microorganisms attached thereto confined in said detection chamber;
• a retention device disposed at least in part on said substrate at said detection chamber for capturing said micro-spheres with said microorganisms from a flowing sample stream and retaining said micro-spheres with said microorganisms in said detection chamber;
• a reference chamber disposed on said substrate and defining a volume between 1 pico-liter and 1 micro-liter;
• a composition without microorganisms in said reference chamber;
• a heater operatively connected to said substrate to respectively heat said first composition in said detection chamber and said second composition in said reference chamber;
• and
• electrodes mounted on said substrate and disposed in communication with said detection chamber and said reference chamber to identify AC impedance changes within said detection chamber from bacterial metabolism of the microorganisms attached to said micro-spheres, relative to AC impedance values associated with the composition in said reference chamber.

A biosensor for generating a highest possible concentration of living microorganisms from a macroscopic sample and for detecting the concentrated living microorganisms in a minimal time, comprising:

• a substrate;
• a detection chamber disposed on said substrate and defining a volume between 1 pico-liter and 1 micro-liter;
• micro-spheres with microorganisms attached thereto confined in said detection chamber;
• a reference chamber disposed on said substrate and defining a volume between 1 pico-liter and 1 micro-liter;
• a reference composition without microorganisms in said reference chamber;
• specimen concentration means connected to said detection chamber for rapidly concentrating said micro-spheres with said microorganisms in said detection chamber, said specimen concentration means including a branching channel structure and a retention device at said detection chamber, said branching channel structure including a large inflow groove or trench and a substantially smaller channel extending from said inflow groove or trench to said detection chamber;
• a heater operatively connected to said substrate to respectively heat said first composition in said detection chamber and said second composition in said reference chamber;
• and
• a measurement device disposed in operative communication with said detection chamber and said reference chamber to detect changes within said detection chamber from bacterial metabolism of said microorganisms to the composition in said reference chamber.