Provided herein are methods and compositions for community-based screening of polymicrobial infections for the selection and administration of antibiotics and antibiotic combinations for treating infections associated with diseases such as cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic sinus infections. The methods and compositions of this disclosure are advantageous in the sense that antibiotic effectiveness is assessed with respect to a community of microbes rather than a single microbial population, thus reflecting more accurately the in vivo disease environment and enabling the identification of beneficial antimicrobial therapeutics even when the primary bacterial strain shows antibiotic resistance.

A millifluidic device for cultures of biological agents comprising: a main body (11) comprising at least a first hole (40) closed at the bottom; a separator (35); a membrane (36) fixed to said separator (35); a plug (15) closing said first hole (40); said separator (35) designed to be placed in said first hole (40); said separator (35) being extractable from said first hole (40); said membrane (36) divides said first hole (40 ) into an upper half-chamber and a lower half-chamber; a pair of tubes (25) to perfuse said lower half-chamber; a pair of tubes (26) to perfuse said upper half-chamber; a first slide (22) placed centrally on said plug (15); a second slide (42) placed centrally on said first hole (40); a cylindrical body (41) rises from said first hole (40) and said second slide (42) is placed on the top of said cylindrical body (41); said cylindrical body (41) has a second hole (43), coaxial to said cylindrical body (41).

The present invention provides improved devices for co-culture of cells. The devices include inserts having invertible wells that can be lowered into a well of any standard cell culture plate. A first population of cells can be cultured in the invertible wells of the inserts and a second population of cells can be cultured in the wells of a cell culture plate. Once the first population of cells attach to the invertible wells, the inserts are flipped over and placed into the wells of the cell culture plate to co-culture with the second population of cells.

An applicator or applicator system used for handling samples in an analytical laboratory setting. In particular, the invention the applicator or applicator system is capable of capping an analytical sample tube by applying a capping material to an opening of an analytical sample vessel, the applicator or applicator system including g a dispenser configured to dispense a substantially continuous length of a capping material, such that a region of the substantially continuous length of capping material is located on or about an opening of an analytical sample vessel held in a predetermined orientation.

The systems and methods of the present disclosure provide highly deformable porous membrane culture systems and actuation methods for studying the effects of biomedical stretch on cultured tissue. A well plate can include a well having a first opening configured to receive an insert coupled to a deformable membrane. The well plate can include a gasket positioned within the well and configured to create a seal between the insert and the well when the insert is positioned in the well. The well plate can include a chamber defined beneath the well, the chamber configured to receive fluid media and to expose the fluid media to a surface of the deformable membrane when the insert is positioned in the well. The well plate can include an actuator configured to stretch the deformable membrane by a target amount of strain.

Light detection devices and related methods are provided. The devices may comprise a reaction structure for containing a reaction solution with a relatively high or low pH and a plurality of reaction sites that generate light emissions. The devices may comprise a device base comprising a plurality of light sensors, device circuitry coupled to the light sensors, and a plurality of light guides that block excitation light but permit the light emissions to pass to a light sensor. The device base may also include a shield layer extending about each light guide between each light guide and the device circuitry, and a protection layer that is chemically inert with respect to the reaction solution extending about each light guide between each light guide and the shield layer. The protection layer prevents reaction solution that passes through the reaction structure and the light guide from interacting with the device circuitry.

This disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for sorting target particles. In various embodiments, the disclosure provides a cassette for sorting target particles, methods for sorting target particles, methods of loading a microchannel for maintaining sample material viability, methods of quantifying sample material, and an optical apparatus for laser scanning and particle sorting.

The present disclosure relates to approaches for assessing a sample or the presence of microorganisms. The sample, in certain implementations may be assessed for one or both of absence of microorganisms (sterility) and/or for concentration of said organisms (bio-burden). sample partition device may be employed that partitions the sample input volume into multiple discrete measurement zones with little or no loss of sample (e.g., zero-loss) and with little operator involvement, thereby reducing operator- and environment-based false positives.

The invention relates to a device for analyzing solid biological elements and to a device for implementing same. The device comprises a plate (1) of tubes, the lower ends (2) of which are perforated and the upper ends (4) of which are open on the tube plate (1) to allow the introduction of an element to be analyzed (5), a deep-well plate (6) into which the tube plate (1) is inserted and a lifter (7) for raising the tube plate (1) from the deep-well plate (6). Each tube (3) in the tube plate (1) comprises at least one opening (9) toward its upper end (4) to allow air to pass through and each tube (3) can be closed at its upper end (4) with a stopper (8). The invention is applicable particularly in the medical, agri-food and forensic science fields.

A lid apparatus for a multi-chambered container. The lid apparatus has a top-lid that is hingedly attached to a bottom-cap. The top-lid includes one or more openings for fluid filling multiple passages that extend from the bottom-cap. A lower bottom-cap includes welding features for welding to the multi-chambered container. The bottom-cap further includes one or more auxiliary ports for injecting a reagent when the lid apparatus is in a closed configuration sealingly attached to the multi-chambered sample container.