Chi.Bio

Chi.Bio provides an open-source automated platform for parallelized measurement, continuous monitoring, and in silico control of bulk cultures to characterize and manipulate in vivo biological systems.

Key Features:

• Parallelized Automation: Automated simultaneous measurement and control actions on bulk cultures in situ to reduce manual sampling variability.
• Continuous-culturing (turbidostat): Turbidostat functionality maintains constant cell density and incorporates heating and stirring to control growth conditions.
• Optogenetic Integration: Tunable light outputs across wavelengths enable automated in silico control of optogenetic systems.
• Spectrometry and Fluorescence Readout: Integrated spectrometry supports readout of multiple orthogonal fluorescent proteins and analysis of cellular behavior including biofilm formation.
• Integrated Liquid Handling: On-platform liquid handling enables automated addition and removal of media and samples.

Scientific Applications:

• Synthetic Biology: Automates experimental protocols for characterization and control of synthetic genetic and cellular systems.
• Systems Biology: Enables continuous monitoring and control to study dynamic interactions within biological systems.
• Evolutionary Biology: Facilitates long-term growth and evolution experiments under controlled environmental conditions.

Methodology:

Automated in silico control and parallelized continuous monitoring and control of cultures; integration of heating, stirring, liquid handling, spectrometry, and optogenetic actuation into a single platform.