Difference between revisions of "Team:BostonU HW/Contribution"

 
(8 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown)
Line 81: Line 81:
 
           <div class="row justify-content-center">
 
           <div class="row justify-content-center">
 
             <div class="col-lg-12 px-4 pt-2">
 
             <div class="col-lg-12 px-4 pt-2">
−
               <h2 class=display-3>Contributions</p></h2>
+
               <h2 class=display-3>Our Contribution</p></h2>
 
               <small class="h6 text-default">  
 
               <small class="h6 text-default">  
 
                 Throughout our iGEM experience, we have interacted with synthetic biologists, researchers, and companies in the microfluidic industry. Our team has found that there is a need for a system that increases the accessibility of microfluidic devices to the scientific community. While microfluidics is not new to biologists, many scientists have not incorporated it into their research workflow. This is due to a number of barriers that scientists must overcome in order to utilize microfluidics, one of which is a lack of accessibility. </p>
 
                 Throughout our iGEM experience, we have interacted with synthetic biologists, researchers, and companies in the microfluidic industry. Our team has found that there is a need for a system that increases the accessibility of microfluidic devices to the scientific community. While microfluidics is not new to biologists, many scientists have not incorporated it into their research workflow. This is due to a number of barriers that scientists must overcome in order to utilize microfluidics, one of which is a lack of accessibility. </p>
Line 92: Line 92:
 
             <br>
 
             <br>
 
             </div>
 
             </div>
 +
</div>
 +
</div>
 +
<br>
 +
<div class="card card-profile shadow  px-4 pt-3">
 +
          <div class="row justify-content-center">
 +
            <div class="col-lg-12 px-4 pt-2">
 +
              <h2 class=display-3>TERRA Works!</p></h2>
 +
              <small class="h6 text-default">
 +
Our system TERRA has demonstrated the ability to automate and selectively dispense the output of an experiment on a microfluidic chip. Automation is implemented by the actuation syringe pumps and controlled from the UI. TERRA is also able to selectively dispense to specific wells on microtiter plates by choosing locations on the interface. By implementing these features in our design of TERRA we looked to achieve of making microfluidics more approachable and easier to use for biologists </p>
 +
 +
Click here to see our system demonstrate its capabilities:
 +
 +
<a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:BostonU_HW/Demonstrate">
 +
                          <button class="btn btn-default btn-sm">Demonstrate</button>
 +
                        </a></p>
 
           </div>
 
           </div>
 
         </div>
 
         </div>

Latest revision as of 01:48, 18 October 2018

Argon Design System - Free Design System for Bootstrap 4

Argon Design System - Free Design System for Bootstrap 4 Argon Design System - Free Design System for Bootstrap 4

Contributions

Our Contribution

Throughout our iGEM experience, we have interacted with synthetic biologists, researchers, and companies in the microfluidic industry. Our team has found that there is a need for a system that increases the accessibility of microfluidic devices to the scientific community. While microfluidics is not new to biologists, many scientists have not incorporated it into their research workflow. This is due to a number of barriers that scientists must overcome in order to utilize microfluidics, one of which is a lack of accessibility.

Currently, the experimental outputs of experiments run on microfluidic chips are collected in a tube and manually transferred to other vessels, such as a well-plate for analysis in a plate reader. This, however, defeats the purpose of using microfluidics to automate biological protocols. In order to streamline the process of utilizing microfluidic devices for synthetic biology protocols, we have developed a system that automates the output of a microfluidic device. Our system, TERRA, takes the output of a microfluidic device and selectively dispenses the fluid to specific locations on a vessel, such as a 96-well plate. Scientists can then use the output of a microfluidic-based experiment more effectively. For instance, the microfluidic output can easily be analyzed using standard lab equipment, such as a plate reader. TERRA allows scientists to incorporate microfluidics to their workflow without an extensive knowledge of microfluidics itself.

TERRA aims to be an application- and microfluidic-agnostic system, in which a biologist can run a microfluidic device designed for their experiment, connect it with the TERRA Adapter, and enter the protocol for the experiment to our user interface. Our system will then automate the experiment and dispense the fluid output to the wells of the microtiter plate that the user inputted to the user interface. By automating the microfluidic-based experiment, our project combines the use of standard lab equipment for analysis of outputs of microfluidic devices. TERRA allows scientists to easily incorporate microfluidics to their experiments and easily access and utilize the outputs of microfluidic devices. By using TERRA, scientists can automate synthetic biology protocols, such as those for molecular cloning, that can be applied in creating BioBricks or similar experimental products.



TERRA Works!

Our system TERRA has demonstrated the ability to automate and selectively dispense the output of an experiment on a microfluidic chip. Automation is implemented by the actuation syringe pumps and controlled from the UI. TERRA is also able to selectively dispense to specific wells on microtiter plates by choosing locations on the interface. By implementing these features in our design of TERRA we looked to achieve of making microfluidics more approachable and easier to use for biologists

Click here to see our system demonstrate its capabilities: