General Automation Lab Technologies Inc.

Michael W Seely

Paul Blainey

Alexander Hallock

Peter Christey

Karsten Zengler

Scott Conradson

Roman Stocker

Paul C Blainey

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 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.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Michael W Seely