Researchers have developed a robotic instrument called LabEmbryoCam, utilizing 3D-printed components, which can autonomously monitor the initial stages of development in various aquatic species.
Developed over the last decade by the dedicated biologists and technologists at the EmbryoPhenomics research group at the University of Plymouth, this innovative tool is set to transform our understanding of embryonic development.
The LabEmbryoCam allows scientists to conduct tracking of embryonic development—a vital biological phenomenon that is essential for the rich diversity of life on Earth. Its ability to visualize and measure this process simultaneously in large quantities of embryos makes it an accessible and scalable solution for researchers.
Given the increasing concern over how environmental changes affect the earliest stages of life, this instrument allows scientists to measure important features of developing animals, such as heart rate, developmental speed, and growth, ultimately equipping them with insights to navigate the challenges posed by changing environments on aquatic life.
The LabEmbryoCam has been introduced by the team as an open-source initiative, with comprehensive designs for both hardware and software available to the public, detailed in a recent study published in HardwareX.
This initiative empowers researchers globally by providing a versatile tool that can address a wide array of research challenges, allowing them to customize it to meet their unique requirements.
“We developed the LabEmbryoCam to provide an accessible window on how animals put themselves together and what impact the environment has on this. It capitalizes on enabling technologies such as 3D printing and AI. The LabEmbryoCam is enabling us and others to address complex research questions that were not otherwise possible. Our open-source ethos makes the capabilities that are central to our own research available to others,” said Dr. Oli Tills, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth and the visionary founder of the EmbryoPhenomics group, who led this study.
“Phenomics – the acquisition of high-dimensional organismal data on an organism-wide scale, is an approach increasingly used in medicine and the crop sciences. The LabEmbryoCam enables users to apply phenomics during the most dynamic and often sensitive period of life.
“The instruments are already proving pivotal in understanding how embryos function, and these responses differ markedly compared to later life. This is already proving critical in helping us not only understand the effects of global and ocean warming on individual species but also to identify species, populations, and individuals that are resilient to conditions we are likely to see on our planet in the future.”
The team has created a specialized phenomics facility equipped with LabEmbryoCam instruments to assist the EmbryoPhenomics group’s research, allowing for the simultaneous screening of over 3,000 embryos, directly addressing some of the most pressing global research challenges we face today.
In addition to licensing the LabEmbryoCam as open source, they are now selling it via Phenomyx CIC, a Community Interest Company founded to maximize the reach, accessibility, and impact of this vital innovation for researchers and educators alike. Their mission is to empower researchers to employ phenomics approaches in studying developing animals, driving collaboration and discovery.
Operating from Plymouth Science Park, Phenomyx CIC designs and assembles components using 3D printing technology, and their instrument has already found eager users in both the UK and USA. Additionally, LabEmbryoCam joined researchers from the University on an expedition to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean to facilitate groundbreaking studies on the early life stages of the Christmas Island red crab.
Journal reference:
- Ziad Ibbini, Maria Bruning, Sakina Allili, Luke A Holmes, Ellen Tully, Jamie McCoy, Benjamin Larsen, Tony Wilson, Guy Ludford, Jack Barrett-Kelly, John I. Spicer, Oliver Tills. LabEmbryoCam: An opensource phenotyping system for developing aquatic animals. HardwareX, 2024; DOI: 10.1016/j.ohx.2024.e00602
