Laser-Induced Confocal Microscope for Dielectrophoretic Fluorescence-Activated Droplet Sorting

Brief Description

A system that enhances and accelerates enzyme evolution process for synthetic biology applications using microfluidic technology and fluorescent sensors.

Full Description

This system leverages microfluidic technology and associated laser-induced confocal microscopy for ultrahigh throughput fluorescence-activated droplet sorting (FADS) to evolve enzymes with enhanced or novel activities. This system can sort droplets containing enzyme-expressing cells at high speeds based on enzymatic activity to rapidly screen large enzyme libraries, surpassing traditional directed evolution methods in speed and volume.

Suggested uses

• Synthetic Biology: Development of novel enzymes, including the synthesis and modification of artificial genetic polymers.
• Pharmaceutical R&D: High-throughput screening of enzyme inhibitors or activators for therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
• Agricultural Biotech: Enzyme evolution for crop protection, nutrient synthesis, or biomass conversion.
• Academic Research: Dedicated platform for protein engineering and single-cell enzymology studies.

Advantages

• Task Efficiency: Enables high-throughput screening of enzyme variants, up to 108 droplets per hour.
• Droplet Integrity: Generates highly monodisperse droplets for efficient and accurate selection.
• Screening Accuracy: Employs fluorescent sensors to accurately detect enzymatic activity within droplets.
• Resource Efficiency: Requires minimal sample volumes and preparation steps, reducing resource consumption

Patent Status

Additional Patent Pending