US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center

2 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Bioengineering

Rapid Characterization of Genetic Parts with Cell-Free Systems

John B. McManus^1,2, Casey B. Bernhards^3,4, Caitlin E. Sharpes^3,4, David C. Garcia^2,4, Stephanie D. Cole⁴, Richard M. Murray², Peter A. Emanuel⁴, Matthew W. Lux⁴

¹US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory, ²Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, ³Excet, Inc., ⁴US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center

Well-characterized genetic parts are necessary for the design of novel genetic circuits. Here we describe a cost-effective, high-throughput method for rapidly characterizing genetic parts. Our method reduces cost and time by combining cell-free lysates, linear DNA to avoid cloning, and acoustic liquid handling to increase throughput and reduce reaction volumes.

Cell-Free Expression Systems: Methods of Production and Use

Matthew W. Lux¹, Jorge L. Chavez², Scott A. Walper³

¹US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, ²711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, ³Office of Naval Research – Global

Cell-Free Expression Systems: Methods of Production and Use