You’re all invited to our Community Meeting this month, on 2024-08-22T14:00:00Z. We will hear from @MakerTobey , presenting about Local Fabrication, Global Impact: Latin American Open Hardware for Bio-Research:
He will present his research group efforts and the LIBRE hub project, based at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, dedicated to advancing open-source hardware and software for high-throughput biological research. Their mission is to develop research-grade tools for applications in bioimaging and microfluidics that can be locally fabricated and adapted, thereby empowering laboratories worldwide, particularly in underserved regions. This talk points to the resources that are being made available, community-building efforts, and their design approach to creating accessible and adaptable research instruments to advance biomedical research and bio-production.
dear tobey @MakerTobey
we are starting to make a nanodrop (microvolume spectrophotometer)
we looked into gaudi lab page but the links are inactive
is there a resource that is sharable you can help us with?
Hi Joseph,
sounds great, I would also be interested in hearing how well this or similar designs perform in comparison, and to make one myself. This link still works for me: DIY Microvolume Spectrophotometers - Hackteria Wiki and you could also try emailing Urs directly. What other information are you looking for that I might be able to help you with? I’m unsure what you need.
hello tobias
thank your for your response
we were able to make visual spectrum nanodrop, but we are having trouble with calibration and uv spectrophotometry, because the main use we want is dna quantification using 260 and 280 nm
do you have a method or a program for it or a guideline?
now we are using theremino software
i tried mailing urs he responded previous times two years ago, now i have sent 3 emails without response.
Hi Joseph,
I don’t have a protocol to share because in the past I have used the alternative method qBit instead, which is more reliable but needs fresh reagents.
One approach that we often use with home-built instruments is to make a calibration experiment with a gold-standard instrument (or even better with sensors to compare both types of instruments, given that many proprietary commercial instruments are also far from perfect). Perhaps you know someone in your city who has a Nanodrop and you can compare your measurements for a series of DNA dilutions? This might help you either make sense of your software output, or to create a calibration curve for your instrument, where certain UV photo-counts correspond to certain amounts of DNA or RNA.
thank you tobias
unfortunately we don’t have a nanodrop in my country in general
i suppose i can compare with a regular spectrophotometer
i’ll see a way eventually…
Thanks again for joining us for Tobias Wenzel’s inspiring talk. He shared about “Local Fabrication, Global Impact: Latin American Open Hardware for Bio-Research."
Here are some highlights from his talk:
Tobey showcased a low-cost, open-source digital microfluidics device that enables students and researchers to run biology experiments with fewer reagents and without expensive lab equipment.
He described how his team integrates open-source tools into teaching programs, allowing participants to learn genetic engineering and molecular biology techniques in a practical, interactive way.
He explained how open licensing and online documentation empower schools and community labs worldwide to replicate and adapt these resources for local needs.
You can check the complete session on our YouTube: Link
Join us via Zoom (new link!): Launch Meeting - Zoom
Reclone Community Meeting Recap
Tobey showcased a low-cost, open-source digital microfluidics device that enables students and researchers to run biology experiments with fewer reagents and without expensive lab equipment.