Chinese Researchers Create AI-Powered Fast Microbial Screening Platform

Researchers in China have developed an AI-powered platform designed to accelerate the selection process for high-performing microbial strains. This innovation has potential applications in medicine, bioengineering, and industrial manufacturing.

A team from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, created the Digital Colony Picker (DCP). This system transforms a traditionally slow, manual process into a swift, automated workflow, according to a recent publication in Nature Communications.

The DCP operates with a microfluidic chip featuring 16,000 microchambers that can be individually accessed to isolate single cells and track their growth into micro-colonies.

Its integrated AI engine analyzes brightfield images and biosensor signals in real-time to assess growth rates and metabolite production. When colonies of interest are detected, they are transferred as droplets into standard culture plates using a laser-induced bubble method. This contactless method minimizes contamination and maintains cell health.

To showcase its capabilities, the team used the DCP to select Zymomonas mobilis, a Gram-negative bacterium used in ethanol fermentation for biomass energy. They identified a strain that grew 77% faster under conditions with 30 g/L potassium lactate and exhibited nearly 20% higher lactate production compared to control samples after a single screening cycle.

The study highlighted how the DCP addresses major challenges in droplet and plate-based screening workflows. Gas-phase separation prevents cross-contamination, rapid medium exchanges support extended testing, and the chip’s indexing system enables fast analysis of around 800 colonies per minute. The push-button, contactless export process facilitates efficient collection and promotes healthy growth.

The team noted that this platform could also be used for adaptive evolution experiments, gene function discovery, and phenotypic screening across various microbial species.