System and method of performing a biological experiment with adaptive cybernetic control of procedural conditions

Abstract

A method for performing a biological experiment includes accessing a protocol that specifies operations and prescribes a plurality of conditions for carrying out the biological experiment in a defined space. The method includes performing the sequence of operations according to the protocol; and periodically before or as the sequence of operations are performed, obtaining observations of particular conditions of the plurality, and comparing the particular conditions as observed to the particular conditions as prescribed. When a particular condition as observed deviates from the as prescribed by more than a predetermined threshold for the particular condition, the method includes interrupting the sequence of operations, accessing a corrective protocol that specifies an operation for remediating the particular condition as observed to within the predetermined threshold of the particular condition as prescribed, performing the operation to remediate the particular condition according to the corrective protocol, and resuming the sequence of operations.

1 - 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . A method of performing a biological experiment, the method comprising:
 accessing an experiment protocol and corrective protocols, the experiment protocol specifying a sequence of operations and prescribed conditions for carrying out the biological experiment, the corrective protocols specifying operations for remediating deviations of measurements of the prescribed conditions during the biological experiment;   performing the sequence of operations to carry out the biological experiment according to the experiment protocol, the sequence of operations including dispensing cells into a container containing a growth medium, and transferring the container containing the cells and the growth medium into an enclosure for culturing the cells;   measuring and thereby producing the measurements of the prescribed conditions, at least some of the prescribed conditions including an incubation period in which the container containing the cells and the growth medium is held in the enclosure, physical and chemical conditions outside or within the enclosure, one or more physical or chemical properties of the cells or the growth medium within the container, or conditions of the cells or cells' concentration within the container;   obtaining the measurements of the prescribed conditions from the sensors;   comparing the measurements of the prescribed conditions to the prescribed conditions;   detecting a first deviation of a first measurement of a first prescribed condition by more than a first predetermined threshold for the first prescribed condition;   interrupting the sequence of operations responsive to detection of the first deviation;   accessing a first corrective protocol that specifies a first operation for remediating the first deviation of the first measurement of the first prescribed condition to within the first predetermined threshold;   performing the first operation to remediate the first deviation according to the corrective protocol; and   resuming the sequence of operations.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28  further comprising:
 detecting a second deviation of a second measurement of the first prescribed condition by less than the first predetermined threshold for the first prescribed condition; and 
 continuing the biological experiment without interruption of the sequence of operations to remediate the second deviation. 
 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28  further comprising:
 detecting a second deviation of a second measurement of the first prescribed condition by more than a first critical threshold that is greater than the first predetermined threshold for the first prescribed condition; and 
 terminating the biological experiment without the biological experiment being completed, and without remediation of the second deviation. 
 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 28  further comprising:
 detecting a second deviation of a second measurement of a second prescribed condition by less than a second predetermined threshold for the second prescribed condition; and 
 continuing the biological experiment without interruption of the sequence of operations to remediate the second deviation. 
 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28  further comprising:
 detecting a second deviation of a second measurement of a second prescribed condition by more than a second critical threshold that is greater than a second predetermined threshold for the second prescribed condition; and 
 terminating the biological experiment without the biological experiment being completed, and without remediation of the second deviation. 
 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein measuring and thereby producing the measurements includes measuring and thereby producing the measurements of the physical and chemical conditions outside or within the enclosure, including temperature, humidity, and concentration of a gas outside or within the enclosure. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein measuring and thereby producing the measurements includes measuring and thereby producing the measurements of the physical and chemical conditions, including visible or ultraviolet light in the enclosure. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein measuring and thereby producing the measurements includes measuring and thereby producing the measurements of the one or more physical or chemical properties of the cells or the growth medium, including temperature or pH of the growth medium. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein measuring and thereby producing the measurements includes measuring and thereby producing the measurements of the one or more physical or chemical properties of the cells or the growth medium, including a rate of freezing or thawing of the cells. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein measuring and thereby producing the measurements includes measuring and thereby producing the measurements of the conditions of the cells or cells' concentration within the container, including an appearance, size or shape of the cells, clusters of the cells or fragments of the cells. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein measuring and thereby producing the measurements includes measuring and thereby producing the measurements of the conditions of the cells or cells' concentration within the container, including a quantified gene activity in the cells. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein measuring and thereby producing the measurements includes measuring and thereby producing the measurements of the conditions of the cells or cells' concentration within the container, including a count of adherent or floating cells, or confluence of the cells. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the method is performed in a laboratory with automated equipment including processing circuitry, at least one robot and sensors, the processing circuitry coupled to the at least one robot and the sensors,
 wherein the experiment protocol and the first corrective protocol are machine-readable and stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and   wherein the processing circuitry:
 accesses the experiment protocol from the computer-readable storage medium; 
 causes the automated equipment to perform the sequence of operations, including the at least one robot dispensing cells into a container containing a growth medium, and the at least one robot transferring the container containing the cells and the growth medium into an enclosure for culturing the cells; 
 obtains the measurements of the prescribed conditions from the sensors; 
 compares the measurements of the prescribed conditions to the prescribed conditions; 
 detects the first deviation; 
 interrupts the sequence of operations responsive to detection of the first deviation; 
 accesses, from the computer-readable storage medium, the first corrective protocol; 
 causes the automated equipment to perform the first operation; and 
 resumes the sequence of operations.