Microbiology Testing for The Brewing Industry

The objective for this project will be for the student to test and validate that a newly designed assay for detecting bacteria in yeast cultures is effective, user-friendly, and specific. By the end of the experience, the learner will be required to write a review of the prototype, including what should be improved upon. The learner will also have to provide a report on the test's specificity, and perform a statistical analysis to determine its limit of detection. The prototype and samples will be provided for the learner.

qPCR Laboratory Project

The goal of this project will be for the student to develop a quantitative qPCR assay for plant pathogens. This will involve taking our existing diagnostic kits and using them on spiked plasmid/amplicon samples to develop a standard curve. Field plants will then be compared to this, and an LOD/LOQ will be developed. This will be used along with a positive control to yield information about the level of infection in field crops. Depending on the student's skillset, they may contribute to the project in other ways, such as by developing a PCB board for the machine using PCB Way or doing competitive analysis.

Cell Culturing and Sequencing

The objective of this project is for the learner to isolate a fungal or bacterial pathogen from an infected plant sample (BSL-1). This sample has been provided by one of our curious clients. The learner will then use universal target sequencing (ITS, 16S, CPN60, etc.) on a nanopore to identify the causative pathogen.

July Field Plant Investigation

To complete this project, the learner will first research 2 local producers that have problems with plant diseases. They will then do market research on these diseases to ensure that an assay for them is commercially viable. They will then take the Pathobox out to these producers, demonstrate it, and return the results.