Disclosed are a cell evaluation device, a cell evaluation method, and a non-transitory computer readable recording medium recorded with a cell evaluation program capable of evaluating individual cells in a cell image obtained by imaging a cell group with high accuracy. The cell evaluation device includes an image acquisition unit 30 that acquires a cell image obtained by imaging a cell group; a cell evaluation unit 32 that specifies an evaluation target cell and peripheral cells around the evaluation target cell in the cell group and evaluates the evaluation target cell based on evaluation results of the peripheral cells.

The invention relates to a bioreactor comprising a tank containing a culture medium in which a cell culture composed of algae cells is dispersed. The cell culture of algae has a concentration greater than 0.1 g/L in the culture medium, and each algal cell has a minimum absorption in a specific range of wavelengths of light. The bioreactor comprises a light source that is capable of emitting incident light in the direction of the tank, 60% of the photons of the incident light having a wavelength which is included in said specific range of wavelengths of light. The invention also relates to the use of the bioreactor for the production of biomass.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a bioreactor for growing photoautotrophic organisms is provided. The bioreactor includes a vessel configured to receive the photoautotrophic organisms, the vessel having a longitudinal axis, which a circumferential wall extends around said axis, wherein said circumferential wall is translucent so as to enable light to enter the vessel from the outside for acting on the photoautotrophic organisms, wherein a device for providing an uneven distribution of the light intensity within said vessel along said axis is provided.

Aspects of seaweed bioreactor apparatus, methods, and systems are described. One aspect is a method comprising: scaling a seaweed biomass and a culture medium in a light-transmitting vessel located in a light-controlling enclosure; and sampling or harvesting the seaweed biomass without unsealing the light-transmitting vessel by: causing, with a controller, a light source to output an artificial light into the light-controlling enclosure that illuminates the seaweed biomass; outputting, with a sensor in communication with the controller, sensory data associated with the culture medium; modifying, with the controller, at least one of the artificial light or the culture medium responsive to the sensory data; intermittently mixing and cutting, with the controller, the seaweed biomass in the light-transmitting vessel; and removing a portion of the seaweed biomass from the light-transmitting vessel and the light-controlling enclosure. Related seaweed bioreactor apparatus, methods, and systems also are described.

A scalable photobioreactor system for efficient production of photosynthetic microorganisms such as microalgae and cyanobacteria is described. In various embodiments, this system may include the use of extended surface area to reduce light intensity and increase photosynthetic efficiency, an external water basin to provide structure and thermal regulation at low cost, flexible plastic or composite panels that are joined together make triangular or other shapes in cross-section when partially submerged in water, use of positive gas buoyancy and pressure to maintain the structural integrity of the photobioreactor chambers and use of structure to optimize distribution of diffuse light. Other embodiments concern air tubes comprised of plastic film at the bottom of each photobioreactor chamber to provide sparging air bubbles to the chamber. The photobioreactor system design also comprises gas exchange, temperature control, air pumping, liquid pumping, filtration, media recycling and harvesting methods. For biofuels production, the photobioreactor system can comprise a separate growth photobioreactor and secondary stress reactor.

Disclosed are a cell evaluation device, a cell evaluation method, and a non-transitory computer readable recording medium recorded with a cell evaluation program capable of evaluating individual cells in a cell image obtained by imaging a cell group with high accuracy. The cell evaluation device includes an image acquisition unit 30 that acquires a cell image obtained by imaging a cell group; a cell evaluation unit 32 that specifies an evaluation target cell and peripheral cells around the evaluation target cell in the cell group and evaluates the evaluation target cell based on evaluation results of the peripheral cells.

A photo-bioreactor system for growing and harvesting photosynthetic organisms includes an interior space partitioned into a plurality of independently controlled reactor cells, each stepped downward along a slope from a first elevation to a second elevation, and a light source coupled to each reactor cell and configured to illuminate the photosynthetic organisms with first and second light-emitting surfaces. The system includes a fluid circulation system coupled to the reactor container and configured to force a continuous flow of fluid through the cell passages.

The present invention relates to the field of stem cells. More specifically, the present invention provides compositions and methods for using optogenetics to sustain the pluripotency of stem cells. In one embodiment, a vector comprises a nucleotide sequencing encoding a fusion protein comprising the intracellular domain of fibroblast growth factor 1 receptor (FGFR1) and a photoactivatable domain.

The present disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods for retrieving cells from a continuous culture microfluidic device. In some aspects, a system that allows for selective extraction of one or more cells of interest from an arbitrary population of cells using a high-throughput negative cell selection technique is disclosed herein. For example, the system may comprise a microfluidic device comprising a plurality of cell growth trenches configured to contain cells and a patterned light source capable of selectively killing unwanted cells contained within the device. Coupled with time-lapse imaging, one or more cells of interest within the device may, in some aspects, be identified and extracted with a relatively high extraction efficiency, e.g., at least 99.9% of cells of interest may be extracted from the plurality of cells. In addition, some aspects of the disclosure are directed to methods for using such a system.

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for fabrication of polymer scaffolds and biological tissues in the multi-well plates in a rapid, high-throughput, controllable and reproducible manner by using optical exposure of the wells to patterned probe light without using a photomask. In some aspects, an apparatus includes a light source to produce a probe light; a digital display device to spatially modulate the probe light to encode a programmable spatial pattern in a spatially-modulated light; a stage to hold a target surface or chamber, wherein the target surface or chamber contains a solution including a material that forms a scaffold or construct based on interaction with the spatially-modulated light projected at the solution; and a computer control device in communication with the light source and the digital display device to control a change of the solution including the material to form the scaffold or construct.