Fig. 2: Long-term co-Emerald M. smegmatis live cell division and growth monitoring using the developed microfluidic device.

a A single M. smegmatis cell was trapped and cultured inside the microdevice, showing asymmetric division within 3 h. b Fluorescence images show two M. smegmatis cells trapped initially but still demonstrate that the cells were dividing and growing only in 2D space without major cell overlap while maintaining sharp definite focus. These findings demonstrate the single-cell resolution culture and monitoring capability of the developed microfluidic device. Scale bar = 5 µm.