News and Events

2024

June

Dry freezing in June

Discuss/assess simple dry freezing technique as per Jennifer's paper. Shall we attempt it? It requires a long list of reagents a fast freezing device and a strong vacuum pump to attempt sublimation.

Reclone meeting and participation

May

Document the inoculating Robot

We need to meet and document the robot as the details are still fresh.
Here is the full current documentation: https://github.com/AdrianMolecule/inoculatingRobot

We will use the lessons and elements from the openFlexure project adapted to our project. It could be used for reading plaque for the HTGAA collab project.

Start literature research and design of continuous directed evolution system to implement

One of our long term intentions could become possible due to robotics. Try to identify a system that can be implemented using our implementation of pyLabRobot server.

Collab on HTGAA collab group project

Planning and start design of experiments

Design GA primers session

GA is maybe the most useful tool in engineering today so understanding it is a great skill. Bring scissors to cut DNA. Seriously...

April

Initial test the Inoculating robot

We will design several patterns.

Reclone grant proposal meeting

Discuss the potential involvement

Design the primers for plant virus LAMP kit session
 

Reclone presentation. From Kits to DIY
 

March

Presentation and discuss HTGAA collab group project

We will participate in a phage therapy research project. While the general goal is stated we need to distill that in concrete details. Major risk is availability and affordability of reagents.

Prepare testing for inoculating robot

Select and culture the dishes and liquid culture for testing the Inoculating Robot

Work on the design of kit for LAMP

Decide on the plasmid and order it.

Cell Free Lab

Test the cell free from Kate Atamala/ Minesotta. Details pending.

Reclone meeting

February

Reclone meeting

Discuss new presentation for the next meeting

Cell-Free Protocol
Meet to design a cell-free Python protocol for Opentrons and Opentrons tube racks.

Here are the images and files: /diybio/resources/cellfree.py:

HTGAA MIT course starts.

This is a great course, unique in the world and requires no prior knowledge. We already have several members that applied. The link to the application form is on the homepage. Until then please consult the previous years activity at HTGAA.org. Highly recommended !

Python for Opentrons

Introduction the Opentrons Python libraries. Participants will develop a dilution protocol.

January

Reclone meeting with Cybele

Discuss new reclone initiative participation

Create protocols for LAMPPY

Meetings to brainstorm and determine what will be the first organisms to be tested and design of the testing. The challenge is to select an organism that is easy to obtain and falls under BSL1, like a common plant bacteria.

Experiment.com, Enzyme cooler project iteration due late January. We will finalize the 3D model in Fusion360 and upload it to the gitHub repo for the project. We might also publish a lab note.

Cell Free Systems

Design of an experiment for upcoming mid year workshop

2023

December

Participation as TA in HTGAA starting December - extends in 2024 for the duration of the course.

We will publish the subscription link once is made public so other members of our community can attend.

Renewed collaboration on the LAMPPY project (LAMP) with our industrial partner. Decided to work on protocols and testing of detection of several organisms starting early 2024. In search for positive controls that can be used in BSL1.

We will also try to spread the world and identify real location where the device/protocols could be used. Please participate in the brainstorming discussions. We are particularly interested in contacting small private hospitals in developing counties.

Great news! Our Experiment.com campaign was successful and we got 115% funded. Experiment enzyme cooler project is started!

We are starting to collect baseline information using a Raspberry PI and software

November

We created and finalized PipetteHolder project.

All the documentation is available at https://github.com/AdrianMolecule/pipetteholder. Don't get stuck on the first or last step!!!

Started collaboration with Glyxon labs on their approved and funded Experiment project. https://experiment.com/projects/how-carbon-sequestration-is-modulated-by-mycorrhizal-and-soil-bacteria-symbionts-in-abies-trees  Glyxon project

We decided to discontinue our Meetup membership

While Meetup is good for publishing events it's been costing more than 2000$ since we started the group and we think that resource could be better invested. The 500+ meetup members  will be asked to subscribe to a Facebook group to be created. That way we'll be able to remove some of the dormant meetup members

Coded the new software for codon domestication to make sequences MoClo compatible - code on Github
DNA Domesticator

September

Super folded GFP protein workshop. Open to members and general public at no cost.

We will be using fuGFP created last year by an Australian University and gracefully released in the public space. The dry run resulted in very intense light dubbed  the mother of all GFPs by one of the participants
Red fluorescent protein workshop. Open to members and general public at no cost as the public library is supporting some of the associated costs. We will be using the opto-activated pDawn and pDusk plasmids to produce a read fluorescent protein.

Open Hardware Academy Participation More information

This is an open course offered by TU Delft in Netherlands to both internal and external partners. We will work on a microscopy project that expands on the success of the OpenFlexure project.

Open Source Microscopy

August

DNA extraction workshop. As a introduction, we will deliver a DNA extraction workshop for new members and external members

It took several test runs to achieve the desired result and the DNA product was clearly visible.

June

Great news! Our Experiment.com project and grant submission was approved. Experiment campaign will start in September

Please help advertise it and donate to make this a successful project. This is one of the most needed devices in a DIY bio lab

Work on an agreement to relocate the lab to a new location with the help of an industrial partner we helped designing a LAMP device. We might use this as a secondary location as we have duplicate devices like PCR machines, centrifuges etc.

May

Finalize and submit Experiment.com grant application

April

Submitted several new DNA constructs through Open Bioeconomy / FreeGenes channel

March
 

Bacterial culture workshop

February

Start working on Experiment.com grant submission

January

Bioinformatics workshop

2022

December

Flow Cell design and manufacture

Anatomy of a plasmid workshop

Pipetting workshop

November

Electrophoresis gel box workshop

October

JOGL Summit participation and presentation

September

Analyze and design possible solutions for low cost protein purification

Geneious presentation

August

Start Orbital shaker testing for liquid culture production

July

Started regular external meetings with phases of the protein production project

Bactograph workshop Bacterial Photography Courtesy of Rice University

June

Start design of the orbital shaker. See Open Source

Bioinformatics workshop

May

Protein purification workshop

April - Resume the in-person meetings

Re-stacked consumables and some perishables

March

Plan reopening options activity

Bacterial culture workshop

February

Resumed our regular meetings. Date and location will be communicated directly

Bacterial culture workshop

January

Used a combination of in-person and on-line meeting to work work on a number of projects. Two of them, the Wave Bioreactor and Proteopresso received micro-grants

We presented our Wave Bioreactor in a new JOGL presentation series "What if you can get large quantity of enzymes in a simple predictable way at a fraction of the cost and a fraction of time?"

2021

Started periodic meeting with JOGL. Slack platform setup. Preparing project grant submission

Due to the pandemic out weekly meetings Sundays at 2 PM at the Imagine Space at Ottawa Public Library Branch at Nepean, 101 Centrepointe.  Due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic the library space is closed

December

Our meetings are on-hold with the intention to plan to resume them on-line when possible

MoClo presentation workshop

November

Present our Wave Bioreactor and Glyxon Proteopresso project at the Biosummit 2021 organized by MIT Media Lab Our Presentation at the Biosummit

October

We presented our Wave Bioreactor project at the Biosummit 2020 organized by MIT Media Lab Our Wave Bioreactor Power Point Presentation at the Biosummit

Our Wave Bioreactor Project

Protein Purification Project as part of the larger Bioreactor Project in collaboration with Glyxonlabs-Here are some update and a video of the device taking shape

June

CRISPR workshop

This workshop will be offered as a hands on lab to members and as a demonstration lab to non-members

2020

Glow in the dark bacteria culture workshop

Weekly meetings on Sundays afternoons at the Imagine Space - Nepean

Anatomy of a plasmid presentation

Design, creation and testing of mini personal incubator for under 15$.

The goal was that members can take personal plates home so they can observe the evolution of cell growth without the need to travel to the lab. See Open Source projects

Strawberry DNA extraction public workshop at the Ottawa Library

Participate to Canadian Health Agency Biosummit held in Ottawa in 2020. Networked with Scott Pownall the organizer of Vancouver BC Canadian club and Kevin Chen the organizer of the Montreal club

Adrian - our organizer presented our activity and took part of several panel discussions. Canadian Health Agency Biosummit Agenda

Pipetting workshop

2019

Electrophoresis public workshop at the Ottawa Library

We use gel boxes designed and manufactured by Ottawa Bio Science

Transfer of the Biotown Meetup group to the Ottawa Bio Science Organizer that became the de-facto maintainer for the group

Design, creation and testing of an electrophoresis gel box.

The goal was that members can take personal plates home so they can observe the evolution of cell growth without the need to travel to the lab. See Open Source projects

Started informal meetings to transfer members of the now discontinued BioTown DIY group to a new group  Ottawa Bio Science under a new organizer

Design, manufacture and testing of an automated incubator

See Open Source projects

Monthly meetings started, most of them as education session and planning  including creation of a lab

2018

Start gathering and planning methods to obtain lab devices.

Start of basic Open Source projects like inoculating loops etc. Order first plastic-ware like Petri dishes, tubes etc

Order first e-coli organisms and grow media

Planning activity for the new club and transferring active members and co-organizer from the previous Biotown - community bio group.