Products and Services

RSS

The RAMBIO® uses ResonantAcoustic® Mixing (RAM) technology to mix and aerate microbial cultures. When combined with the Oxy-Pump® stopper, which actively pumps air in and out of the shake flask, oxygen transfer rates up to 6-fold higher than orbital-shaken cultures can readily be achieved.

ResonantAcoustic® Mixing
The RAMBIO® uses low intensity, high frequency acoustic energy to create the mixing and aeration. The vertical oscillations of the shaker platform generate standing waves in the culture media— providing much greater bulk mixing and oxygen transfer than possible in an orbital shaker.

Benefits:

• Improve consistency of shake flask cultures by ensuring adequate aeration.
• Grow cultures to higher cell densities without oxygen limitation.
• Increase shake flask fill volumes (up to 50%) while maintaining high oxygen transfer rates.
• Use enriched media formulations without cultures becoming oxygen limited.

Features:

• Actively refreshes shake flask headspace.
• Fully autoclavable and reusable.
• Universal fit for standard shake flasks.

Simple, Effective User Interface

• Input set points for mixing, temperature and humidity
• Displays set points and current value as well as running time.
• Create and store pre-set programs
• Data log function shows any deviations from program

RAMBIO® vs. Orbital Shaker
Dissolved Oxygen: Cultures grown in the RAMBIO® have much higher dissolved oxygen levels than those grown in the orbital shaker. In addition time to culture completion is quicker with the RAMBIO®, indicatied by the final rise in dissolved oxygen.

Recombinant Protein Expression:
The amount of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) expressed by the cultures grown in the RAMBIO® was significantly greater than those grown in the orbital shaker. In addition use of the RAMBIO® resulted in vast improvements in productivity.

Experimental Conditions (For above profiles) Strain and Media:

• E. coli K12 expressing Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) from the BioRad Laboratories pGLO expression vector.
• H15 + arabinose (induction of GFP production) and ampicillin. H15 is a rich growth medium for culturing bacteria that supports cell densities that are several fold higher than those obtained with LB broth.
• The performance of H15 is dependent on adequate aeration of the growing culture and is described by Fogleman et al. (Biochem. Eng. J 17:175 (2004))

Experiment Parameters:

• 20-40% fill H15 in 0.25L and 1L Erlenmeyer flask (ACE Glass 3891).
• RAMBIO® set to 20g, OxyPump® closure on flask.
• Orbital shaker: NBS Innova 4000 (3/4" orbit) set to 400rpm, Whatman Bugstopper® closure, ACE 3891 baffled flasks

Analysis protocols:

• GFP monitored by flow cytometry on a Guava EasyCyte with general cytometry settings as described by Hewitt et. al (J. Indust. Microbiol & Biotechnol 31:311 (2004))
• Optical density monitored at 600nm.