Developing a low-cost milliliter-scale chemostat array for precise control of cellular growth

Background: Multiplexed milliliter-scale chemostats are useful for measuring cell physiology under various degrees of nutrient limitation and for carrying out evolution experiments. In each chemostat, fresh medium containing a growth rate-limiting metabolite is pumped into the culturing chamber at a constant rate, while culture effluent exits at an equal rate. Although such devices have been developed by various labs, key parameters — the accuracy, precision, and operational range of flow rate — are not explicitly characterized. Methods: Here we re-purpose a published multiplexed culturing device to develop a multiplexed milliliter-scale chemostat. Flow rates for eight chambers can be independently controlled to a wide range, corresponding to population doubling times of 3~13 h, without the use of expensive feedback systems. Results: Flow rates are precise, with the maximal coefficient of variation among eight chambers being less than 3%. Flow rates are accurate, with average flow rates being only slightly below targets, i.e., 3%–6% for 13-h and 0.6%–1.0% for 3-h doubling times. This deficit is largely due to evaporation and should be correctable. We experimentally demonstrate that our device allows accurate and precise quantification of population phenotypes. Conclusions: We achieve precise control of cellular growth in a low-cost milliliter-scale chemostat array, and show that the achieved precision reduces the error when measuring biological processes.