Untangling the Gordian Knot of Aplysia sea hare egg masses: An integrated open-hardware system for standardized egg strand sizing and packaging for cryopreservation research and application

Evaluation of industrial and consumer 3-D resin printer fabrication of microdevices for quality management of genetic resources in aquatic species

Aquatic germplasm repositories can play a pivotal role in securing the genetic diversity of natural populations and agriculturally important aquatic species. However, existing technologies for repository development and operation face challenges in terms of accuracy, precision, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, especially for microdevices used in gamete quality evaluation. Quality management is critical throughout genetic resource protection processes from sample collection to final usage. In this study, we examined the potential of using three-dimensional (3-D) stereolithography resin printing to address these challenges and evaluated the overall capabilities and limitations of a representative industrial 3-D resin printer with a price of US$18,000, a consumer-level printer with a price Collapse

Key Words

• 3-D resin printing
• Aquaculture industry
• Aquatic species
• Genetic resources
• Germplasm repository
• Photolithography
• Soft lithography

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Grants

• R24 OD028443 NIH HHS
• R24 OD034058 NIH HHS

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Affiliation(s)

Seyedmajid Hosseini Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Jack C. Koch Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Yue Liu Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Ignatius Semmes Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Louisiana State University and Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Isabelina Nahmens Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
W. Todd Monroe Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Louisiana State University and Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Jian Xu Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Terrence R. Tiersch Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

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Exploring pathways toward open-hardware ecosystems to safeguard genetic resources for biomedical research communities using aquatic model species

Development of reliable germplasm repositories is critical for preservation of genetic resources of aquatic species, which are widely utilized to support biomedical innovation by providing a foundational source for naturally occurring variation and development of new variants through genetic manipulations. A significant barrier in repository development is the lack of cryopreservation capability and reproducibility across the research community, posing great risks of losing advances developed from billions of dollars of research investment. The emergence of open scientific hardware has fueled a new movement across biomedical research communities. With the increasing accessibility of consumer-level fabrication technologies, such as three-dimensional printers, open hardware devices can be custom designed, and design files distributed to community members for enhancing rigor, reproducibility, and standardization. The overall goal of this review is to explore pathways to create open-hardware ecosystems among the communities using aquatic model resources for biomedical research. To gain feedback and insights from community members, an interactive workshop focusing on open-hardware applications in germplasm repository development was held at the 2022 Aquatic Models for Human Disease Conference, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This work integrates conceptual strategies with practical insights derived from workshop interactions using examples of germplasm repository development. These insights can be generalized for establishment of open-hardware ecosystems for a broad biomedical research community. The specific objectives were to: (1) introduce an open-hardware ecosystem concept to support biomedical research; (2) explore pathways toward open-hardware ecosystems through four major areas, and (3) identify opportunities and future directions.