Overview
Modifying genomes has never been easier than it is today. No more harvesting your own restriction enzymes, DNA sequencing is outsourced, and biological parts are joining the registry by the hundreds. Synthetic biology is on the brink of becoming the next industrial revolution, but is still lacking on one major component that has catalyzed every industry in history to fame: automation. Vivosynth has conceived of the idea of a completely automated cloning machine ModuLab that can produce plasmids at a fraction of the cost at which you pay today.
Why?
Bottom line: cost. Time is money, and the majority of a synthetic biologist’s life is spent in the lab cloning. With no mistakes, this single, repetitive process can take multiple workdays. And that’s only the prep work for the actual experiment!
In national and academic labs alike, competent, intelligent, creative people conduct the same, repetitive procedures of cloning for all synthetic biology experiments. Seem kind of backwards? Shouldn’t scientists be paid to do science and not a machine’s work?
Unfortunately, cloning bots are few and far between and extremely expensive to make, operate, and maintain. That’s why we created ModuLab – the automated cloning machine fit to produce vectors efficiently with minimal human intervention thus drastically reducing error at minimal cost.
Mutant PUF Expression Gel
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What?
ModuLab is aimed at making the cloning process completely customizable, scalable, affordable, and free from human-error. It is a process and a machine.
ModuLab as a Process
ModuLab can complete the cloning process from start to finish with minimal human intervention. When a protocol is designed or selected using our software, the user’s samples will automatically be transported along a system of tracks to the different machines responsible for each stage of cloning, providing feedback after every step.
ModuLab does not operate like a robot. Instead of a humanoid tampering with your reagents, the samples will travel from machine to machine in a customized order.
ModuLab as a Machine
Each lab has its own individual cloning needs and protocols, and for that reason, no two ModuLabs may look alike. ModuLab is a collection of machines that each lab can order based on their particular needs. Each ModuLab purchase includes a reagent loading station and tracks, but the individual machines that may be involved can be selected and implemented by the customer.
Complete with a reagent loading station and touch screen interface, users can operate the machine and create their own programs based on their individual lab needs.
How?
Vivosynth technologies is excited to bring ModuLab to life by programing and designing the user interface and creating the machines to carry out your desired cloning protocols.
As the user, you have the option of purchasing any combination of ModuLab machines. From thermal cyclers to centrifuges, you will be able to find the machines you need.
A reagent loading station and track are included with every order and is easy to assemble with your machines. The reagent loading station can be easily cleaned and stocked with liquid and solids alike. All reagent containers contain our special caps and containers to ensure the utmost sterility.
ModuLab can be operated using a tablet-style control pad. Using your secured log in, multiple labs can use the same machine without the risk of losing your programs or exposing any intellectual property surrounding your methods. The program in extremely intuitive, and the user interface will allow for each scientist to select which machines they want to use for a given protocol and in which order they want them to run in and when they want feedback provided to the home screen or sent via email or text message. Our program will be delivered with the product order or as a downloadable application.
After that, no more human interaction is needed. The scientist can leave the premise and let ModuLab do the rest of the heavy lifting, freeing up hours of the laborer’s time. When the cloning is complete, the user will be notified and the plasmids created can be used for later experiments.
This system is scalable due not only to the size of the machines available for purchase, but also the track. Our track system is easy to manipulate in width to accommodate many different sample sizes, making it easy for biological parts to move from the lab and onto a factory floor.
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