Abstract: Purifying target biomolecules, such as nucleic acids or proteins, from a biological source is a time intensive process and is typically performed by a skilled technician or scientist owing to the highly technical nature of the work. Systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein enable the automated bioprocessing and purification of target biomolecules from a biological source. For example, an instrument and disposable cartridge are provided for automatedly isolating and purifying nucleic acids (such as plasmid DNA from a bacterial culture) or for isolating protein from any biological sample. Such an exemplary instrument and cartridge can work in concert to timely release, mix, and move the target biomolecule and various reagents and buffers through a target biomolecule purification process, resulting in a purified target biomolecule with less manual oversight than traditional approaches.

Abstract: Electroporation is a technique in which an electrical field is applied to cells in order to increase the permeability of the cell membrane. This allows for chemicals, drugs, and/or macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids to be introduced into the cells. Embodiments relate to an electroporation apparatus. The electroporation apparatus comprises: a plurality of chambers configured to store a plurality of cells during an electroporation process; a plurality of electrodes configured to generate a plurality of electric fields within the plurality of chambers during the electroporation process, each electric field of the plurality of electric fields corresponding to one chamber of the plurality of chambers; a flow channel configured to transport the plurality cells during a cell collection process after the electroporation process; and a plurality of valves connecting the plurality of chambers to the flow channel.