Robotic Fermentation Platform
M2P Labs RoboLector/BioLector – Robotic Fermentation Platform
The RoboLector/BioLector is an automated fermentation platform that combines a high-throughput bioreactor (BioLector) with a liquid handling robot (RoboLector). The BioLector is able to monitor in-situ growth, pH, dissolved oxygen and fluorescence of individual cultures within 48 well microtiter plates. The RoboLector can dose the fermentations in-situ at specific times or using triggers from online monitoring. It can also autonomously prepare media compositions.
Applications:
Any culturing protocol that requires high-throughput could potentially be integrated onto the BioLector. For example, cell line and stain screening, media optimisation, growth characterisation, inhibition and toxicity tests and protein kinetics. The RoboLector enables more complex culturing experiments, for example induction of cultures with different growth kinetics at a specific biomass, simultaneous additions to multiple cultures at different times throughout an experiment, pH adjustments during fermentations and automated sampling throughout a fermentation dependent on triggers.
How does it work?
Culture experiments are carried out in 48 well microtiter plates with integrated microsensors for pH and oxygen. Biomass and fluorescence measurements are carried out with LED / filter modules within the instrument. It is possible to control the shaking speed, temperature and humidity within the cultivation chamber. The RoboLector has a robotic pipetting arm with two pipetting channels, enabling the use of either a washable tip or disposable tips. The platform is laid out to enable a variety of different labware and reagent troughs. The robotic pipetting arm can access the 48 well microtiter plate in-situ within the Biolector, enabling sampling and dosing. The process, workflow and data capture is controlled BioLection software.
Sample handling requirements:
Pipetting range – 10 µl to 950 µl
Plates are specific to the BioLector, with working volume in each well between 0.4 and 3ml. Evaporation and sterility is controlled using coversheets specific to the application.
Instrument configuration:
The instrumentation is housed in a laminar flow hood and works in aerobic conditions
Temperature control – 5°C below room temperature and up to 60°C
Humidity control (>75% rH)
pH detection range 5 to 8.5
Fluorescent modules – GFP (Ex 488nm/Em 520nm) and mRuby (Ex 550nm/Em 610nm)
Broad biomass detection (up to 100 g/L CDW, 0.2 to 650 OD600)
16 deck positions on the RoboLector
Complementary techniques:
High throughput Liquid Handling Robots
Contact:
Claire Gerard: / 07385 145064
Dr Sarah Bennett, / 024 76 523927