To meet this need, a new AI-powered platform, the Digital Colony Picker (DCP), is coming on the scene. Together, these leaps will revolutionize microbial research! This advanced device facilitates accelerated screening of the most effective microbes. Consequently it speeds progress in applications such as understanding adaptive evolution and discovering functional genes. The DCP is bringing advanced technology to bear. It takes convoluted workflows and fast-forwards researchers, cutting time spent on hands-on tasks by an order of magnitude.
The DCP combines a microfluidic chip with 16,000 individually addressable microchambers. Each microchamber holds a single cell, so they can be used to exactly track the growth of cells into micro-colonies. This design allows the DCP to conduct panoramic colony analysis at a mind-boggling speed of up to 800 colonies per minute. In turn, this allows researchers to move faster in their explorations of microbial phenotypes with a reliable high throughput.
Advanced Features of the DCP
One of the most impressive aspects of the DCP is how easily it blends growth-tracking with metabolic monitoring. This integration improves the efficiency by which we identify high-yield or lactate-tolerant mutants of Zymomonas mobilis. This bacterium has a lot of promise in biofuel production and otherwise. The platform’s one-click clone export makes things even more efficient, enabling push-button, contact-free collection of clones. This approach maximizes collection efficiency and helps foster strong, inclusive post-export growth.
The DCP automates the manual steps taken in single-cell phenotyping. This transformation turns what was a complex, hands-on process into a routine, highly scalable collaborative workflow. That kind of flexibility is especially valuable in the “design-build-test-learn” stages of microbial development, when fast-paced iteration is key to innovation and efficiency.
Applications in Microbial Research
The DCP’s value has surpassed expectations as a versatile tool, seeing its success in real-world applications. During their most recent set of tests, researchers employed the platform to pinpoint clones capable of surviving lactate pressure. They were interested in identifying clones with the highest lactate yields simultaneously. After just one round of screening, one candidate had a stunning 77% growth rate increase. This increase took place in the presence of 30 g/L potassium lactate when contrasted to control samples without potassium lactate. Incredibly, this candidate performed at least 20% higher lactate titer than its competitors.
A follow-up genomic analysis showed an outer-membrane autotransporter gene, later designated ZMOp39x027, to be present in the candidate strain. This finding further emphasizes the DCP’s amazing capability to ‘sift and sort’ promising microbial candidates. More importantly, it points to specific genetic factors that underlie these desirable traits.
“We can now identify rare, top-performing producers early and move them directly into optimization.” – Prof. Yang Shihui
Future Implications
The impact of the DCP goes far beyond just efficiency improvements in microbial screening. Other researchers can use its broad applicability to conduct phenotype screenings across a wide range of microbial species. This breakthrough creates thrilling new opportunities for research and development in arenas such as biotechnology and environmental science. The DCP represents a way to identify, iterate on, and scale the right microbial strains more quickly. This singular capability holds promise for sustainable solutions to prosperous food production, waste management, and bioenergy advancement.
Researchers are just beginning to understand how to use the power of this new platform. We expect that DCP will soon be an integral component of laboratories world-wide. With the pace of microbial technology, major leaps are possible. These discoveries have the potential to increase productivity and sustainability in fields ranging from advanced manufacturing to agriculture.