In situ characterisation and manipulation of biological systems with Chi.Bio

Baden, Tom, Steel, Harrison, Habgood, Robert, Kelly, Ciaran and Papachristodoulou, Antonis (2020) In situ characterisation and manipulation of biological systems with Chi.Bio. PLoS Biology, 18 (7). e3000794. ISSN 1545-7885

Preview	Text journal.pbio.3000794.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (1MB) | Preview
Preview	Text (Uncorrected Proof) journal.pbio.3000794.pdf - Other Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

The precision and repeatability of in vivo biological studies is predicated upon methods for isolating a targeted subsystem from external sources of noise and variability. However, in many experimental frameworks, this is made challenging by nonstatic environments during host cell growth, as well as variability introduced by manual sampling and measurement protocols. To address these challenges, we developed Chi.Bio, a parallelised open-source platform that represents a new experimental paradigm in which all measurement and control actions can be applied to a bulk culture in situ. In addition to continuous-culturing capabilities, it incorporates tunable light outputs, spectrometry, and advanced automation features. We demonstrate its application to studies of cell growth and biofilm formation, automated in silico control of optogenetic systems, and readout of multiple orthogonal fluorescent proteins in situ. By integrating precise measurement and actuation hardware into a single low-cost platform, Chi.Bio facilitates novel experimental methods for synthetic, systems, and evolutionary biology and broadens access to cutting-edge research capabilities.

Actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads