Team:UNOTT/Design3
The Key. coli design is optimised to facilitate safe transport, ease of use, and maximise cell viability when it is required for authentication. To store our E. coli, they will be freeze-dried in an anaerobic environment with a desiccating cryoprotectant and liquid nitrogen. Freeze-dried cells will be kept at -70°C until use in our “key”, where it will remain at room temperature. Our key streamlines the resuspension of freeze dried cells and drives cell growth and gene expression. The Mix2vial® system is utilised to keep freeze dried cells and LB medium separated in two containers in an anaerobic, sterile environment. When the need comes to reactivate the bacteria, they can be easily connected to release the LB medium by simply pushing down on the top. Since E. coli grows best at 37°C, a heating module surrounds the collection container at the base. This mechanism of this module is under discussion, but we favour the use of super cooled sodium acetate crystallisation, reducing the need for electricity in our key. This exothermic reaction will heat up the solution to the optimum temperature of approximately 30-35oC.This will be encased in a stylish aluminium casing to physically and thermally protect the apparatus and maintain an optimum microenvironment.
Our device is designed to activate a freeze dried pellet of competent cells already transformed with our unique plasmid. Upon activation, the LB broth contained in one sector activates these cells which can then be measured.
The device is designed to be portable and is single use, however only 2 parts need to be washed and replaced each time. The time taken to refill and clean these parts is a few hours, therefore a quick assembly during the working day via an automation system would be sensible.
