Algae harvesting and cultivating systems and methods for producing high concentrations of algae product with minimal energy. In an embodiment, an algae harvesting method is provided for performing dead-end filtration in an algae harvesting system having at least one treatment tank defining a plurality of filtration stages including at least a first filtration stage and a second filtration stage. An algae medium is pulled through the hollow fiber membranes such that a retentate and a permeate are produced.

A culture additive diffusion mechanism (23) includes an additive retention unit (20) configured to retain an additive (21) used in a culture and a diffusion adjustment unit (22) configured to adjust a diffusion rate of the additive (21) from the inside of the additive retention unit (20) to the outside of the additive retention unit (20).

Apparatus and methods for providing a single-use, disposable module or manifold for testing and analysis of bioprocesses, as well as a portable and compact device which can be used with the module or manifold. A module comprising a valve, a filter or guard column, an affinity column, and a flow cell is provided with several ports for receiving tubing connections for a sample and one or more solvents, as well as one or more outlet ports for connections to one or more waste reservoirs. The flow cell may use UV light to determine a protein concentration of a sample in one particular example. The module can be connected directly or indirectly to a bioreactor containing the bioprocess and material to be sampled, and can be disposed of once a production run has been completed. In addition, manifolds are provided which can be embodied as a valve assembly, and which can comprise the same components and features as the disposable module. The manifolds and modules are compact and easy to use. A portable device adapted for use with a easily removable module is also provided.

The detecting apparatus according to the present disclosure comprises devices each including an artificial cell wall, a test sample inlet provided above the artificial cell wall, and a culture medium layer provided under the artificial cell wall, and an observation part configured to laterally observe at least one of the culture medium layers of the devices, wherein the culture medium layers of the devises respectively contain different technical-grade active ingredients, each of the culture medium layers of the devices includes a plurality of layers that each contain an agricultural chemical in a standard amount or at a diluted concentration with respect to the standard amount and are stacked in a descending order of concentration of the agricultural chemical from bottom to top, and each of the culture medium layers of the devices further includes, as an uppermost layer, a layer containing no agricultural chemical.

Functional assays using reporter cell assays are described which probe the activity of at least one cell of interest. The ability to probe at least one cell is provided by using the microfluidic methods, devices and kits described herein. Assays combining both reporter cell signaling as well as binding assay signaling for at least one cell is also described herein.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to novel flasks, methods and systems employing said novel flasks, and sensors for use within said flasks and systems. In some embodiments, flasks and systems described herein are used to culture cells and/or detect changes in pH levels or dissolved oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels in a cell culture sample resulting from the growth of living cells contained within a reaction vessel such as a flask. The devices may be used to detect changes in pH and dissolved oxygen levels in a liquid contained in the reaction vessel due to growth of living cells.

Methods for autoflocculation of algae cells in an algae water slurry to facilitate harvesting. Algae cells are cultivated in the algae water slurry to produce an algal biomass and thereafter autoflocculated to allow for an enhanced dewatering harvesting process. Autoflocculation provides a cost-effective and efficient harvesting method compared to traditional dewatering processes.

A cassette for growth and treatment of cells having at least one container for cell culture growth, a cell culture media reservoir, a reagent reservoir, a waste container, and interconnecting tubes enabling connection with peristaltic pumps, wherein the cassette is detachable and movable as an entity. Also disclosed is an automated reagent delivery system for growth and treatment of cells, wherein the system includes at least one slide out drawer, at least two peristaltic pumps attached to the drawer, the cassette according to the invention attached to the drawer and connected with the peristaltic pumps, a computer controller and computer program product having means for manual and automatic control of liquid flow rates, output composition between the independent liquid reservoirs, pump control and execution of pre-set liquid flow programs, customization and saving of new automated liquid handling programs.

The present invention is related to an anaerobic photobioreactor and a method for active biomass cultivation, wastewater treatment, nutrients recovery, energy production and high-value products synthesis. Phototrophic bacteria are cultured in the anaerobic photobioreactor lighted with solar or artificial irradiation where certain light wavelengths are selectively discarded with a light selector installed on the top of the photobioreactor. In this light-based process wastewater treatment and resources recovery, like nutrients and high-value bioproducts (fertilizers, polymers and proteins) present in wastewater are performed simultaneously. Cultured biomass is treated by anaerobic digestion for biofuel production, including optative hydrolytic pre-treatment, and/or valuable bioproducts can be obtained in a downstream process.

The present disclosure relates to a scalable experimental workflow that uses a culture system to maintain a steady state in a biological system, and techniques for identifying values for parameters in a in silico model based on experimental data obtained from the biological system. Particularly, aspects of the present disclosure are directed to obtaining measurement data for one or more characteristics of a biological system developed in a culture system, where the measurement data is indicative of each of the one or more characteristics at a physiological steady state where growth of the biological system is occurring at a substantially constant growth rate, determining a value for a parameter of a model of the biological system based on an growth formula, the measurement data, and the substantially constant growth rate, and parametrizing the model with at least the value determined for the parameter.