MBRAs are an arrayed bioreactor platform for continuous flow cultivation of microbes, from individual microbes to complex communities. Parallel bioreactor design facilitates testing of multiple replicates and variable conditions. Our current MBRA design can be scaled up to 60 total replicates. A sampling port facilitates frequent collection of samples for downstream analyses such as microbial community sequencing and metabolomics.
Potential applications for MBRAs
Continuous flow bioreactors are ideal for examining the effects of dietary compounds, potential microbiota disrupters, and/or allocthonous microbes on microbes or communities of microbes over time. Key variables to consider for experimental design are the source of microbes and the types of growth media utilized. Growth medium can be custom-designed to fit the goals of the study, with potential to partner with upstream AiMS platform approaches for milling, digestion and dialysis scaled to appropriate needs for MBRAs.
Recent publications and pre-prints using MBRAs
bioRxiv 2024.8.12.607625
PMID: 39071387
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653523018489
PMID: 32727857
PMID: 32433519