APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:
- Agricultural and academic research
ECOFAB BENEFITS:
- Compatible with automated platforms pervasive in molecular biology laboratories
- Smaller footprint and price point than existing automated systems
- Minimizes risk of contamination
- Adaptive system capable of learning (via machine learning) to operate based on data gathered during operation
BACKGROUND:
- The EcoFABTM (ecological fabrication) program within the Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division has designed model growth-imaging systems for the study of microbial ecosystems. This is especially helpful for studying and isolating the effect of the plant root microbiome on plant growth. The EcoFAB devices are precisely controlled compartments in which researchers may conduct controlled, replicable laboratory experiments to study microbiomes using small plant and microbe growth chambers. The EcoFAB 2.0 is the updated iteration with advantageous design modifications.
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW:
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a combined package available for licensing with the EcoFABTM 2.0 device.
This package encompasses assembly and cleaning instructions for the EcoFAB 2.0 for reuse (2021-163), production drawings for the device (2021-177), and the trademark for its name (2021-172).
The EcoFAB design for a plant growth chamber is versatile in function and compatible with automated platforms used across molecular biology laboratories.
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Proven principle
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://genomicscience.energy.gov/research/sfas/lbnlteams.shtml
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:
STATUS: Copyrighted (2021-163, 2021-177) and trademarked (2021-172).
OPPORTUNITIES: Available for licensing or collaborative research.
SEE THESE OTHER BERKELEY LAB TECHNOLOGIES IN THIS FIELD:
EcoFAB 2.0: Device for Determining Plant-Microbe Interactions 2019-066
MycoFAB: EcoFAB to Study Mycorrhizal Plant-Fungal Interactions 2019-056
EcoFAB Plant Growth Chambers for Microbiome Research 2017-048