Aspects of the application relate to methods and systems for evaluating treatment response by measuring treatment-induced changes at the single cell level. The disclosure provides methods for isolating single cells that are primary cancer cells, including primary cancer cells from solid tumors, and detecting in minutes to hours from their removal from the body the response of such cells to anti-cancer agents such as radiation, small molecules, biologies, DNA damaging agents and the like.

The invention discloses a microfluidic device for the culture, selection and/or analysis of sample organisms such as nematodes, as well as for other biological entities such as for instance animal embryos. The device features reservoirs, culture chambers and smart filtering systems allowing fir the selection of specific populations/specimens of sample organisms, thus permitting long-term cultures thereof as well as phenotypic/behavioural analyses. Systems and methods for using the microfluidic device are within the present disclosure as well.

The present disclosure provides transgenic nematode systems for assessing function of heterologous genes, their variants and drug discovery. The transgenic nematodes contain a heterologous gene that is inserted via homologous recombination at the native locus replacing and removing the nematode ortholog, wherein expression of the heterologous gene rescues function of the removed nematode ortholog and a transgenic control animal is provided. The heterologous gene may be further modified to provide a variant, such as a human clinical variant, whereby a transgenic test animal is provided. Those transgenic test animals are used in methods to assess function of the heterologous variant and drug screens to find therapeutic candidates reversing deviant activity back to wildtype.

The invention relates to identification and characterization of recombinant DNA and polypeptides for specific Bt toxin receptors. In particular, the Bi toxin receptors of the invention include those derived from the Lepidopteran super family including the species Trichoplusiani ni, Pseudoplusia includens, Helicoverpa zea, and Spodoptera frugiperda. The receptors of the invention further include those derived from the Coleopteran super family and particularly from the species Diabrotica virgifera virgifera. The recombinant DNA and polypeptides so provided are useful in the identification and design of novel Bt toxin receptor ligands including novel or improved insecticidal toxins for use in a variety of agricultural applications. Materials and methods for identifying novel toxins are also disclosed herein. The invention also provides methods for selecting toxins to combine to control insect populations by manipulating Bt toxin receptor.

In order to determine, in a cancer test using nematodes, whether or not the nematodes used in the cancer test are adequate, the present invention is characterized in that after a plate on which a urine from a subject and the nematode are set is placed, a cancer test apparatus performs imaging for quality assay of the nematode during the initial two minutes; an analysis apparatus determines a quality of the nematode using the imaging result; after taxis of the nematode is completed, the cancer test apparatus performs imaging for cancer test assay by the nematode; and the analysis apparatus determines the presence or absence of a cancer in the subject using the imaging result.

A system is provided comprising a plurality of C. elegans cultures, where each culture comprises a transgenic C. elegans strain that models a mammalian disease or condition. Methods of using a system, e.g., for characterizing microbial strains of a mammalian microbiome and determining whether such microbial strains affect a mammalian disease or disorder.

Pesticidal proteins (FFPP's) are used to produce derivatives (DP's) that are ineffective and disabled relative to conferring toxic properties upon a target pest, yet the ability of the DP to bind to the receptor to which said FFPP binds is unaffected. Such DP's are useful in inhibiting the FFPP from which it was derived when both are fed to a target pest and for comparing receptor binding capability and efficiency relative to different FFPP's from which the DP has been derived, providing for an assessment of different FFPP's relative to each other, and providing uniformity and certainty in combinations of such FFPP's for compositions, including transgenic plants, that can be used to control pest populations susceptible to both FFPP's, creating more durable transgenic plant products, inhibiting the development of resistance to such FFPP's when used in plants commercially, and in providing a durable and viable resistance management strategy for crops using such FFPP combinations. Polynucleotide sequences intended for use in expression of the DP's and FFPP's are also provided. Particular embodiments provide methods of designing and preparing DP's, as well as compositions and methods of using DP's and the FFPP's from which the DP's have been derived in more effective pesticidal compositions and products.

The disclosure relates to a diagnosis method and diagnosis device of ecotoxicity of solid waste soil in a pesticide production site. The diagnosis method is as follows: performing multi-point distributed collection on solid waste soil of a to-be-diagnosed pesticide production site, and subsequently pretreating the connected soil sample; synchronously performing a first toxicity test, a second toxicity test and a third toxicity test on the pretreated solid waste soil by using the diagnosis device. The diagnosis device comprises a first test device, a second test device and a third test device. The method of the disclosure is used for synchronous diagnosis of ecotoxicity by utilizing multiple diagnosis methods, and therefore is high in diagnosis efficiency and high in accuracy rate.

The disclosure relates to a diagnosis method and diagnosis device of ecotoxicity of solid waste soil in a pesticide production site. The diagnosis method is as follows: performing multi-point distributed collection on solid waste soil of a to-be-diagnosed pesticide production site, and subsequently pretreating the connected soil sample; synchronously performing a first toxicity test, a second toxicity test and a third toxicity test on the pretreated solid waste soil by using the diagnosis device. The diagnosis device comprises a first test device, a second test device and a third test device. The method of the disclosure is used for synchronous diagnosis of ecotoxicity by utilizing multiple diagnosis methods, and therefore is high in diagnosis efficiency and high in accuracy rate.

A method for characterising a tissue-engineered construct and the tissue-engineered construct are described. The characterisation method allows verification of viability, morphology, functionality and/or distribution of cells comprised in the tissue-engineered construct. The tissue-engineered construct has a scaffold with a lumen and at least one portion of the lumen lined with at least one functional and preferably continuous cell layer, that can be used for in vitro testing of medicinal products for human or animal use. A method for the in vitro testing of medicinal products for human or animal use performed with the tissue-engineered construct is also described.