Abstract
The analysis of tissue cultures, particularly brain organoids, takes a high degree of coordination, measurement, and monitoring. We have developed an automated research platform enabling independent devices to achieve collaborative objectives for feedback-driven cell culture studies. Unified by an Internet of Things (IoT) architecture, our approach enables continuous, communicative interactions among various sensing and actuation devices, achieving precisely timed control of in vitro biological experiments. The framework integrates microfluidics, electrophysiology, and imaging devices to maintain cerebral cortex organoids and monitor their neuronal activity. The organoids are cultured in custom, 3D-printed chambers attached to commercial microelectrode arrays for electrophysiology monitoring. Periodic feeding is achieved using programmable microfluidic pumps. We developed computer vision fluid volume estimations of aspirated media, achieving high accuracy, and used feedback to rectify deviations in microfluidic perfusion during media feeding/aspiration cycles. We validated the system with a 7-day study of mouse cerebral cortex organoids, comparing manual and automated protocols. The automated experimental samples maintained robust neural activity throughout the experiment, comparable with the control samples. The automated system enabled hourly electrophysiology recordings that revealed dramatic temporal changes in neuron firing rates not observed in once-a-day recordings.
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