Cell culture plates are an essential tool for cell biology research. They are used to grow cells in a controlled environment, which allows for study of the effects of different conditions on cell growth and development. The plates are typically made of plastic or glass and may have one or more wells, each of which can hold a small amount of cell culture media. The media provides the cells with the nutrients the cells need to grow and divide. Cell culture plates may be used in incubators to grow cells in a controlled environment. The incubator provides the cells with the necessary conditions for growth, including a constant temperature, humidity, and atmosphere.Conventional cell culture plates are susceptible to evaporation, which causes increased osmolarity of cell culture media. This in turn causes unrealistic growth of cells as well as potential differences between wells due to uneven evaporation. In addition, evaporation causes increased concentration of the salts involved in electrical signaling of electrically active cell types, changing the ionic gradients across the cell membrane, thereby affecting all characteristics of the initiation, transmission (and computation) in electrically active cells such as cardiac or neuronal cells.It is also difficult to maintain desired dissolved gas concentration with standard cell culture plates. This generally requires use of a compressed gas system, which uses gas regulators, sensors that are expensive and have limited lifetimes, and feedback control as well as a glove box for culture and/or handling.An incubator is used to maintain the desired temperature of the cell culture plates, but the incubator impedes access to the cultures for feeding, for microscopy, etc. Furthermore, observation equipment for use inside an incubator needs to be designed to resist incubator conditions (e.g., body temperature heat and humidity). Incubators also take up significant space and packing of incubators in a laboratory is space-inefficient relative to the form factor of the cell culture plates. As the number of cell culture plates in a single incubator increases, the ability of the incubator to perform its function decreases, since there is a minimum number of times an incubator may be accessed per week per cell culture vessel. However, every time the incubator is accessed, it is unable to perform its functions for a prolonged period of time, e.g., over 30 minutes.A further technical problem is that cell culture devices that use an air gap for gas exchange have an increased risk of microbial contamination via that air gap. This makes it difficult to perform manual cell culture experiments over the course of months without contamination. In addition, cross-contamination is more likely if multiple different experiments are being performed in the same laboratory. Thus, there is a need for cell culture vessels and systems that overcome these problems. 

Innovative synthetic endometrial tissues and uterus-like structures enable advanced in vitro embryo implantation, growth, and culture to model post-implantation stages.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed ethyl cellulose-based oleogels enhanced with fatty acid and acid salt complexes which offers a healthier and versatile alternative for structured lipids in food, cosmetic, and industrial applications.

MCFAs provide a synergistic bactericidal effect in combination with antibiotics and bacteriophages to effectively treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

A breakthrough in synthetic biology: an evolved DNA polymerase that synthesizes natural and modified RNA, paving the way for advancements in epigenetics, vaccine development, and drug discovery.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a protein-based composition and method that protects bioactive bacteria from thermal and osmotic stress during dehydration to maintain viability and shelf life.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed Collimonas bacterial isolates Cal 1 and Cal 2 that demonstrate strong antifungal activity against economically important plant pathogens.

A novel transparent contact lens device enabling real-time monitoring of corneal curvature during electrochemical vision therapy.

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A novel 3D bioprintable hydrogel platform enables precise spatial delivery of biochemical gradients to engineer in vitro tissue models with area-specific identities.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a scalable, plant-based method using somatic embryogenesis to produce high yields of water-soluble melanin externally from walnut tissues.

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Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a nanoparticle system combining photothermal therapy and chemotherapy for enhanced cancer treatment.

The use of standing surface acoustic waves (SSAWs) in microfluidic channels gained significant momentum when researchers demonstrated size-based cell separation (acoustophoresis) using lateral acoustic forces. Using interdigitated transducers (IDTs) positioned on piezoelectric substrates, SSAWs were found to create pressure nodes along the channel width, allowing larger particles to experience greater acoustic radiation forces and migrate toward these nodes faster than smaller particles. Acoustic-based microfluidic devices were successfully applied to circulating tumor cell (CTC) isolation from clinical blood samples in ~2015, demonstrating recovery rates >80% using tilted-angle standing surface acoustic waves, though these systems relied primarily on size-based separation principles. The integration of acoustic methods with microfluidics offered key advantages including label-free operation, biocompatibility, non-contact manipulation, and preservation of cell viability, addressing limitations of earlier methods like centrifugation, FACS, and magnetic separation that could damage cells or require labeling. Despite these advances in acoustic microfluidics, significant challenges persist in affinity-based rare cell isolation, particularly mass transport limitations in microfluidic channels operating at high Peclet numbers (Pe>10⁶) where convective flow dominates over diffusion. In traditional microfluidic affinity capture systems, cells flow predominantly in the center of laminar flow channels where fluid velocity is highest, resulting in minimal interaction with capture agents immobilized on channel walls and requiring extremely long channels or impractically slow flow rates to achieve adequate capture efficiency. The extremely low concentration of CTCs , combined with their phenotypic heterogeneity and the low diffusion coefficients of cells creates a "needle in a haystack" challenge that existing acoustic separation methods based solely on size discrimination cannot adequately address.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) screening is a cornerstone of functional genomics, enabling genome-wide knockout studies to identify genes involved in specific cellular processes or disease pathways. The success of CRISPR screens depends critically on the design of effective guide RNA (gRNA) libraries that maximize on-target activity while minimizing off-target effects. Current CRISPR screening lacks tools that can natively integrate next-generation sequencing (NGS) data for context-specific gRNA design, despite the wealth of genomic and transcriptomic information available from modern sequencing approaches. Traditional gRNA design tools have relied on static libraries with limited genome annotations and outdated scoring methods, lacking the flexibility to incorporate context-specific genomic information. Off-target effects are also a concern, with CRISPR-Cas9 systems tolerating up to three mismatches between single guide RNA (sgRNA) and genomic DNA, potentially leading to unintended mutations that could disrupt essential genes and compromise genomic integrity. Additionally, standard CRISPR library preparation methods can introduce bias through PCR amplification and cloning steps, resulting in non-uniform gRNA representation.

UC Berkeley researchers have developed a versatile platform of engineered non-living, semi-living, and living frameworks designed for programmable metal and molecule separation. By integrating metal-binding peptides (MBPs) with stimulus-responsive peptides (SRPs), these systems enable precise, on-demand capture and release of target compounds from complex liquid environments. The technology can be deployed as protein-based hydrogels, bacteriophage nanoparticles, or living bacterial systems, offering unmatched flexibility across industries.

UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel dispersion system for agricultural and environmental payloads, including seeds, soil amendments, miniature soil sensors, and so forth. Dispersive packages are biodegradable and biomimetically designed with similarities to natural seeds. Aerodynamic properties control large-area dispersions, while importantly, tunable gyroscopic properties are programmed for penetration parameters, such as depth, upon impact. Payload distribution can be fine-tuned accounting for local soil moisture and grain-size.

POEM is a groundbreaking 3D bioprinting technology enabling high-resolution, multi-material, and cell-laden structure fabrication with enhanced cell viability.

While organoids offer unparalleled advantages over traditional models for disease modeling and drug screening, their clinical translation is hindered by the difficulty of preserving their complex structures and functions. UC Berkeley researchers have addressed this by developing an air-free supercooling platform that maintains these systems in a liquid state at sub-zero temperatures without ice nucleation. By utilizing an engineered sealing system, this technology enables the extended preservation of complex 3D models at hypothermic temperatures without toxic cryoprotectants. This approach ensures high cell viability and functional integrity upon recovery, even protecting samples from vibration or accidental impact during transport.

A revolutionary enzyme technology for ambient temperature and pressure ammonia synthesis from dinitrogen gas.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a biosensor technology for rapid, sensitive detection, purification, and identification of nucleic acids in complex biological fluids.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a sophisticated soil nitrate sensing system designed to accurately measure soil pore water nitrate concentrations, enhancing sustainable agriculture and environmental monitoring.

This technology introduces a novel Jones tube design utilizing nanopillars to significantly reduce biofilm formation, enhancing patient comfort and safety.