Postdoc Fellow in Bhamla Lab

Post a job in 3min, or find thousands of job offers like this one at jobRxiv!

Postdoc Fellow in Bhamla Lab

Post a job in 3min, or find thousands of job offers like this one at jobRxiv!

Postdoc Fellow in Bhamla Lab

Post a job in 3min, or find thousands of job offers like this one at jobRxiv!

Why Frugal Science Matters Worldwide

In an era when billion-dollar telescopes, gene-editing labs, and space missions are standard-bearers of science, a silent revolution is under...

Postdoc Fellow in Bhamla Lab

Post a job in 3min, or find thousands of job offers like this one at jobRxiv!

DIYNAFLUOR: An Affordable DIY Plug-and-Play Nucleic Acid Fluorometer for eDNA Quantification in Resource Limited Settings

Nucleic Acid (NA) fluorometry is widely employed for quantifying environmental DNA (eDNA) samples and their downstream DNA sequencing libraries, owing to its sensitivity, accuracy, and speed. However, the high cost of NA fluorometers presents a barrier to eDNA sequencing in resource limited settings (RLSs). For instance, at ∼$1.5-3.3k USD, current NA fluorometers present a greater capital cost than ONT’s $1k USD portable MinION third-generation Nanopore sequencing platform. The collapse of international scientific device and consumable supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic also highlighted the need for distributed manufacturing of molecular research tools to mitigate the impact of increased pricing to RLSs. To address these challenges, we have developed the “DIYNAFLUOR” (DIY Nucleic Acid FLUORometer), a portable, open-source, <$40 USD NA fluorometer, designed using readily available off-the-shelf components, simple 3D-printed parts, and plug-and-play, solder-free assembly. The DIYNAFLUOR was primarily designed to be compatible with the popular DNA-centric Qubit High Sensitivity (HS) and Broad Range (BR) assay kits. Notably, the DIYNAFLUOR demonstrated an ‘in-assay’ Limit of Detection with the Qubit HS kit of 0.0028 ng/μL, and an average absolute bias of 0.018 ng/μL across a 0–10 ng/μL working range using a 2-point linear calibration methodology. Device verification was performed by comparative measurements with a Qubit 4 fluorometer in a busy biotechnology laboratory, and build instructions were validated through assembly and qualification of three DIYNAFLUOR devices by researchers outside the primary design team. We also describe a custom “extreme”low-cost assay, <13¢ USD per-measurement, that uses SYBR Safe dye to quantify DNA across a working range of 0-0.5 ng/μL. This assay reports a lower sensitivity and accuracy than commercial kits but may be of use to RLSs in times of extreme resource constraints or as a teaching tool for STEM educators. To demonstrate its practical application for field-based eDNA analysis in RLSs, the DIYNAFLUOR was used to perform all quality control measurements throughout the preparation of a 16S and 18S metabarcoding library generated from eDNA extracted from Australian lake water, leading to the successful identification of Australian fauna via Nanopore sequencing. Finally, configurations of the DIYNAFLUOR for RNA and Protein quantification are briefly described. ![Figure][1]</img> ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. [1]: pending:yes

Open-source spring-driven syringe pump with 3D-printed components for microfluidic applications

The operation of microfluidic devices requires precise and constant fluid flow. Microfluidic systems in low-resource settings require a portable, inex…

OpenCell: A low-cost, open-source, 3-in-1 device for DNA extraction

High-cost DNA extraction procedures pose significant challenges for budget-constrained laboratories. To address this, we introduce OpenCell, an economical, open-source, 3-in-1 laboratory device that combines the functionalities of a bead homogenizer, a microcentrifuge, and a vortex mixer. OpenCell utilizes modular attachments that magnetically connect to a central rotating brushless motor. This motor couples to an epicyclic gearing mechanism, enabling efficient bead homogenization, vortex mixing, and centrifugation within one compact unit. OpenCell’s design incorporates multiple redundant safety features, ensuring both the device’s and operator’s safety. Additional features such as RPM measurement, programmable timers, battery operation, and optional speed control make OpenCell a reliable and reproducible laboratory instrument. In our study, OpenCell successfully isolated DNA from Spinacia oleracea (spinach), with an average yield of 2.3 μg and an A260/A280 ratio of 1.77, demonstrating its effectiveness for downstream applications such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification. With its compact size (20 cm x 28 cm x 6.7 cm) and lightweight design (0.8 kg), comparable to the size and weight of a laptop, OpenCell is portable, making it an attractive component of a ‘lab-in-a-backpack’ for resource-constrained environments in low-and-middle-income countries and synthetic biology in remote field stations. Leveraging the accessibility of 3D printing and off-the-shelf components, OpenCell can be manufactured and assembled at a low unit cost of less than $50, providing an affordable alternative to expensive laboratory equipment costing over $4000. OpenCell aims to overcome the barriers to entry in synthetic biology research and contribute to the growing collection of frugal and open hardware.

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A low-cost, open-source centrifuge adaptor for separating large volume clinical blood samples

Blood plasma separation is a prerequisite in numerous biomedical assays involving low abundance plasma-borne biomarkers and thus is the fundamental step before many bioanalytical steps. High-capacity refrigerated centrifuges, which have the advantage of handling large volumes of blood samples, are widely utilized, but they are bulky, non-transportable, and prohibitively expensive for low-resource settings, with prices starting at $1,500. On the other hand, there are low-cost commercial and open-source micro-centrifuges available, but they are incapable of handling typical clinical amounts of blood samples (2-10mL). There is currently no low-cost CE marked centrifuge that can process large volumes of clinical blood samples on the market. As a solution, we customised the rotor of a commercially available low-cost micro-centrifuge (~$125) using 3D printing to enable centrifugation of large clinical blood samples in resource poor-settings. Our custom adaptor ($15) can hold two 9 mL S-Monovette tubes and achieve the same separation performance (yield, cell count, hemolysis, albumin levels) as the control benchtop refrigerated centrifuge, and even outperformed the control in platelet separation by at least four times. This low-cost open-source centrifugation system capable of processing clinical blood tubes could be valuable to low-resource settings where centrifugation is required immediately after blood withdrawal for further testing.