Week 3 HW: Lab Automation

Python Script for Opentrons Artwork

Opentrons Artwork Design Opentrons Artwork Design My Opentrons design is meant to resemble a frog because I use Xenopus laevis as my model organism in my honors thesis research at William & Mary.

Post-Lab Questions

  1. Find and describe a published paper that utilizes the Opentrons or an automation tool to achieve novel biological applications. In Sanders et al., 2022, the researchers use an Opentron robot to optimize a bacterial whole-genome sequencing (WGS) protocol for gut microbiota samples. The Opentron was used for DNA extraction and library preparation steps, reducing the overall cost of WGS by ~$10 per genome and eliminating the need for 16S rRNA gene-based screening.

  2. Write a description about what you intend to do with automation tools for your final project. My final project will likely involve the design of a genetic circuit whose expression is regulated by a synNotch system. As such, I could use the Opentron to automatize construction of my genetic circuit.

Final Project Ideas

For my final project, I am interested in engineering a synNotch-regulated circuit into Xenopus laevis, either to control cell-fate decisions or to control expression of a fluorescent protein to observe cell-cell communication during embryonic development. See my slide in the Committed Listener slide deck linked here.