Provided is a method for producing a cell laminate including cell layers on both surfaces of a porous membrane, using a vessel having a bottom portion and a side wall portion standing from a periphery of the bottom portion, the porous membrane, and a holding member configured to hold the porous membrane such that the porous membrane faces an inner bottom surface of the vessel and is held at a position that does not contact the inner bottom surface, the method including culturing first cells in a liquid medium that contacts the inner bottom surface of the vessel and a surface of the porous membrane, in a state in which the porous membrane is held, by the holding member, at a position that does not contact the inner bottom surface of the vessel so as to face the inner bottom surface, and in which the bottom portion of the vessel is positioned at the upper side while the porous membrane is positioned at the lower side in a direction of gravity; and culturing the first cells at a lower surface of the porous membrane and culturing second cells at an upper surface of the porous membrane, in a state in which the porous membrane is held, by the holding member, at a position that does not contact the inner bottom surface of the vessel so as to face the inner bottom surface, and in which the bottom portion of the vessel is positioned at the lower side while the porous membrane is positioned at the upper side in the direction of gravity.

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for cell and bead processing or analysis. A method for processing a cell or bead may comprise subjecting a bead to conditions sufficient to change a first characteristic or set of characteristics (e.g., cell or bead size). Such a method may further comprise subjecting the cell or bead to conditions sufficient to change a second characteristic or set of characteristics. In some cases, crosslinks may be formed within the cell or bead.

A droplet forming device is provided. The droplet forming device includes a liquid holder configured to hold a liquid, a film having a discharge hole, two or more vibration generators configured to vibrate the film, and a driver configured to apply a driving signal to the vibration generators. One or more of the vibration generators are disposed in each region on the film where a polarity of bending moment differs.

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for detecting and/or selecting a microorganism with a desired trait comprising the steps of (a) providing a composition comprising two or more microorganisms, (b) subjecting said two or more microorganisms to one of the following reactions leading to a change in the genetic composition in at least one microorganism, (i) natural transformation, (ii) transduction by phage, (iii) conjugation; (c) encapsulating each microorganism in a single microfluidic droplet together with an indicator molecule capable of detecting the presence of the desired trait, (d) incubating the encapsulated microorganism together with the indicator molecule under conditions that allow the detection of the desired trait, (e) sorting said droplets in a microfluidic system into at least (i) one group where the desired trait is not detectable and (ii) one group where the desired trait is detectable if present. In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a microorganism created by a method according to the first aspect of the present invention and its relative embodiments. In a third aspect, the present invention also encompasses a microfluidic kit comprising a microfluidic chip suitable for performing the method according to the first aspect and its relative embodiments and a collection reservoir for collecting single microfluidic droplets encapsulating the microorganism with the desired trait as defined in the second aspect and its relative embodiment. A variation of the method of the first aspect in which microorganisms not carrying a desired trait are brought in contact with nucleic acids carrying the trait is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a cellular microcompartment comprising successively, organized around a lumen, at least one layer of pluripotent cells, an extracellular matrix layer and an outer hydrogel layer. The invention also relates to processes for preparing such cellular microcompartments.

A method comprising effecting a change in a shape of a droplet, wherein the droplet is disposed over a substrate in sensing proximity to a sensor and the droplet has a starting surface area exposed to the sensor; and producing an expanded surface area of the droplet in the sensing proximity exposed to the sensor, wherein the expanded surface area exposed to the sensor is greater than the starting surface area exposed to the sensor.

A method for the analysis of microorganisms, which produce a compound, the method comprising: a. providing a microorganism which produces a compound of interest and a detector microorganism which comprises a reporter gene or reporter gene operon, wherein the microorganism producing said compound of interest and the detector microorganism are combined into single droplets, wherein each droplet comprises at least one cell of each strain; b. subjecting the droplets to a microfluidic system; c. analyzing the droplets for the activation of the reporter gene of the detector strain; d. sorting and collecting the droplets comprising the detector microorganism with expressed reporter gene.

A method of providing a droplet in contact with a magnetically responsive bead and having a reduced quantity of a substance. The method generally includes the steps of (a) providing a droplet actuator comprising: (i) a substrate comprising electrodes arranged for conducting droplet operations on a surface; (ii) a starting droplet comprising: (1) one or more magnetically responsive beads; (2) a starting quantity of the substance; and (3) a starting volume; (b) magnetically immobilizing the one or more magnetically responsive beads at a location which is at a distance from a target droplet splitting zone; (c) conducting one or more droplet operations comprising droplet dividing operations selected to divide the combined droplet to yield a set of droplets comprising: (i) a droplet comprising substantially all of the one or more magnetically responsive beads and having a decreased quantity of the substance relative to the starting concentration; and (ii) a droplet substantially lacking the magnetically responsive beads.

A floatable composition comprising obligate photoautotrophic microalgae and a floating element is provided. Also provided is a compartmentalized composition comprising at least two compartments wherein a first compartment of the at least two compartments comprises an obligate photoautotrophic microalgae and a second compartment of the at least two compartments comprises an obligate heterotrophic or mixotrophic microalgae, the compartments are designed of a structure and/or composition ensuring symbiosis between the obligate photoautotrophic microalgae and the obligate heterotrophic or mixotrophic microalgae.

Provided herein are devices and methods that enable co-incubation of microorganisms. Also provided are methods of making such devices for co-incubation of microorganisms, and various applications of such devices.