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A droplet microfluidic system for continuous in vivo evolution.

Objective

Droplet microfluidics has recently become one of the breakthrough technologies for high throughput screening in microbiology and biochemistry, including single cell studies and new approaches to in vitro evolution. Here we propose a development of a novel microfluidic system for unsupervised execution of multiple cycles of in vivo continuous evolution in hundreds of thousands of picoliter droplets. Each evolutionary cycle will comprise: i) encapsulation of single bacteria cells in water-in-oil compartments ii) growth of the cells coupled with production of economically relevant biomolecules iii) selection of the most efficient populations using ultra-high-throughput sorting of picodroplets, iv) dilution of each population via merging with 100 times larger nanoliter droplet containing fresh nutrients and v) passive splitting of each of the resulting nanoliter droplets to the libraries of picoliter droplets containing single cells. Confinement of the reaction in small volume and active sorting of droplets will facilitate and accelerate the process of in vivo evolution. Droplet format will also enable for various screening schemes, so far not available for continuous evolution strategies – e.g. based on high throughput fluorescence or absorbance measurements of the droplet content. The second stage of the project will comprise a series of proof-of-concept experiments presenting directed continuous evolution of the tryptophan synthase (TrpS) in E.coli bacteria. The technology proposed here would be very useful for broad community of biotechnologists, evolutionary biologists and industrial specialists without the experience in microfluidics. The proposed research will be conducted at Dr. Hollfelder´s laboratory that specializes in directed evolution of enzymes and application of microfluidics to industrial biotechnology. The project comprise broad and extensive training in research and complementary soft skills that will aid professional development of the Beneficiary.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2016

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Coordinator

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 183 454,80
Address
TRINITY LANE THE OLD SCHOOLS
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

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Region
East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 183 454,80
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