Project Title:

An On-line Monitor of Microbial Ecosystems

Biolog, Inc.
3938 Trust Way
Hayward, CA 94545

93-1		12.08	2564			Amount Requested $70,000

An On-line Monitor of Microbial Ecosystems

Abstract:

In order to grow plants for food on the Space Station, it is very 
important to cultivate and maintain appropriate microbial eco
systems.  These ecosystems are essential to fostering proper root 
development and permitting rapid and healthy growth of plants.
Until very recently, there was no simple method or instrument that 
would permit the monitoring of microbial ecosystems.  However in 
1989, Biolog, Inc. introduced a revolutionary test kit technology 
that allows one to monitor micro-scale samples of microbial 
populations simultaneously in 95 different metabolic tests.  This 
technology was developed originally for pure cultures of 
microorganisms to yield species level identifications.
Then in 1991, Jay Garland and Aaron Mills showed that mixed 
microbial populations from a variety of soil and water ecosystems 
also gave unique and characteristic metabolic fingerprints when 
monitored continuously in Biolog MicroPlates.  Recently, their 
findings have been confirmed at several other universities.
In this SBIR submission, we propose to develop a very small 
instrument that incorporates all of the necessary components (micro 
test cards, continuous carousel with vision system, and software 
for analysis and recognition of microbial ecosystems).  The 
instrument will monitor ecosystems of the Space Station, alert the 
astronauts to undesirable changes, and help determine remedial 
actions.

There are many potential spinoffs and commercial applications from 
this development.  The largest existing market is in the area of 
species identification of pathogenic microbes in clinical 
laboratories.  The Phase III product outcome would be an automated 
microbiology testing system which offers the laboratory great 
advantages in terms of scope, speed, accuracy, simplicity, and cost 
savings.  The same system would also find many uses ln 
environmental microbiology.

Bacteria, identification, microbiology, laboratory automation, 
ecology, ecosystems