General Automation Lab Technologies Inc.

Isolation Bio Inc.

Sri International

Dh Technologies Development Pte. Ltd.

Renishaw Diagnostics Limited

Alexander Hallock

Peter Christey

Paul Blainey

Karsten Zengler

Michael W Seely

Roman Stocker

Scott Conradson

Kimberly Wemmer

Paul C Blainey

Erkinjon G Nazarov

Joshua Gomes

Joseph R Stetter

Lawrence H Dubois

Stephen L Coy

Michael Coggiola

Michael J Vestel

Gareth S Dobson

Michael Y Sha

Richard Copeland

Jude Dunne

Benjamin Lane

Shreyas Ashok

Shao Ning Pei

Caterina Netti

Marc Glazer

A microfabricated device defining a high density array of microwells is described for cultivating cells from a sample. The device may be incubated to grow a plurality of cells, which may be split into an analysis portion and a reserve portion. Methods are provided for screening a biological entity of interest using the microfabricated device, for example, for screening phosphate solubilizing bacteria or other bacteria producing acids.

High resolution systems, kits, apparatus, and methods for screening microorganisms and other high throughput microbiology applications

A picking instrument for picking biological samples, such as microbial samples, includes a picking pin having a distal tip and three degrees-of-freedom and configured to move in x, y, and z directions. The picking instrument also includes a loading platform comprising a first area and a second area, the first area configured to accommodate and secure a microfabricated chip including a plurality of microwells. The picking pin is programmatically controlled to pick a sample contained in one or more selected microwells of the microfabricated chip and then transfer the sample to a predetermined location at the destination sample holder. Methods of operating the picking instrument, including calibrating the coordinates of the selected microwell(s) relative to a location of the picking pin, are also provided.

Apparatus and method for picking biological sample

Methods of transferring material from a first device having an array of microwells to a second device is provided. In some examples, the first device and the second device are moved together toward a stopper plate and impinge on the stopper plate. In other examples, the first device and the second device are kept stationary and an impinging device is impacted on a mounting structure enclosing the first and second devices, causing material transfer from the microwells of the first device to the second device. Apparatus for carrying out the transfer of material is also disclosed.

Method of transferring material from microfabricated device

A kit includes a microfabricated device having a top surface defining an array of microwells for receiving a sample comprising at least one cell, and a membrane for applying on the top surface of the microfabricated device to retain the at least one cell in at least one microwell of the array of microwells after the sample is loaded on the microfabricated device.

High resolution systems, kits, apparatus, and methods for high throughput microbiology applications

A method of screening for at least one biological entity of interest using a microfabricated device which has a top surface defining an array of microwells. A sample is loaded onto the microfabricated device such that at least one microwell of the array of microwells includes at least one cell and an amount of a nutrient. A membrane is applied to the microfabricated device to retain the at least one cell and the nutrient. A plurality of cells are cultured from the at least one cell in the at least one microwell of the array of microwells. The plurality of cells is then analyzed to determine a presence or absence of a biological entity of interest.

A method of screening for at least one biological entity of interest using a microfabricated device which has a top surface defining an array of microwells. A sample is loaded onto the microfabricated device such that at least one microwell of the array of microwells includes at least one cell and an amount of a nutrient. A membrane is applied to the microfabricated device to retain the at least one cell and the nutrient. A plurality of cells is cultured from the at least one cell in the at least one microwell of the array of microwells. The plurality of cells in the at least one microwell of the array of microwells are split into a first portion of the plurality of cells and a second portion of the plurality of cells. The plurality of cells is analyzed to determine a presence or absence of a biological entity of interest.

A microfabricated device defining a high density array of microwells is described for cultivating cells from a sample. A series of unique tags may be disposed in the microwells to identify one or more species of cells and locate the particular microwells in which each species was cultivated. A unique tag may be a nucleic acid molecule including a target-specific nucleotide sequence for annealing to a target nucleic acid fragment and a location-specific nucleotide sequence predetermined to identify one or more microwells. The device may be incubated to grow a plurality of cells, which may be split into an analysis portion and a reserve portion. High throughput methods are described for cultivating, screening, and determining a relative and/or absolute abundance of cells from a sample.

A method is provided for analyzing a sample including a population of biological entities using at least one microfabricated device. A plurality of the microwells on the microfabricated device are each uniquely indexed, and loaded with a sample such that at least some microwells each include more than one cell of a biological entity. The microfabricated device was incubated at predetermined conditions, and a selected genetic material of the cells of the biological entities obtained from the incubation is amplified to obtaining amplicons. An aggregate of the amplicons are sequenced obtain sequencing data, based on which and the indexing of the microwells, an identification of the biological entities present in each of the plurality of microwells is obtained. Such identification can then be used to determine a relationship between different types of biological entities in the sample.

High resolution systems, kits, apparatus, and methods for bacterial community relationship determination and other high throughput microbiology applications

A method for providing a lateral flow of liquid across a plurality of microwells of a microfabricated device. The microwells of the microfabricated device are covered by a membrane which includes a first portion disposed on one side of at least one microwell and a second portion on the other side of the at least one microwell. The first portion of the membrane is contacted with a liquid absorbable by the membrane such that the liquid is wicked by the membrane and laterally flows from the first portion to the second portion and across the at least one microwell. At least a portion of the liquid enters the at least one microwell.

High resolution systems, kits, apparatus, and methods using lateral flow for high throughput microbiology applications

A method of transferring material from a first microfabricated device to a second microfabricated device. At least one magnetic bead is loaded into at least one microwell of the first microfabricated device, where a plurality of cells are cultivated. The second microfabricated device is positioned such that the at least one microwell of the first array of microwells is aligned with at least one microwell of the second array of microwells. A magnetic field is applied so as to move the at least one magnetic bead contained in the at least one microwell of the first microfabricated device into the at least one microwell of the second microfabricated device. In this manner, at least one cell from the plurality of cells in the at least one microwell of the first microfabricated device is transferred to the at least one microwell of the second microfabricated device.

High resolution systems, kits, apparatus, and methods using magnetic beads for high throughput microbiology applications

A method of screening for at least one biological entity of interest using a microfabricated device which has a top surface defining an array of microwells. A sample is loaded onto the microfabricated device such that at least one microwell of the array of microwells includes at least one cell and an amount of a nutrient. A membrane is applied to the microfabricated device to retain the at least one cell and the nutrient. Without furnishing additional nutrient to the microwells, the microfabricated device is incubated to grow a plurality of cells from the at least one cell in the at least one microwell of the array of microwells. The plurality of cells is then analyzed to determine a presence or absence of a biological entity of interest.

Detecting and identifying ions using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and an ion separation pre-filter, such as an ion spectrometer, are provided. The combination of an ion separator as a pre-filter for SERS provides a highly sensitive detector with very low false alarm rates. Target ions from an ionized sample are identified and separated by the ion separator. The target ions are steered and deposited onto a SERS substrate for Raman spectroscopic analysis with an optical probe. The Raman spectrum is compared with reference spectra and the composition of the sample is identified. The ion current from the target ions can also be measured, preferably concurrently with the Raman spectrum measurement. Types of ion separators include a differential ion mobility spectrometer, an ion mobility spectrometer, or a mass spectrometer.

Growing community of inventors

Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Alexander Hallock