A recursive microfluidic platform to explore the emergence of chemical evolution

Area of Science:

• * Origin of Life research
• * Chemical evolution
• * Microfluidics and automation

Background:

• * Understanding the origin of life requires exploring chemical evolution pathways.
• * Current methods often lack the automation and unbiased selection needed for complex evolutionary studies.
• * Droplet microfluidics offers a powerful platform for high-throughput experimentation.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To propose and prototype a chemically agnostic automated platform for inducing artificial chemical evolution.
• * To design and build an open-source, automated evolution machine using droplet microfluidics.
• * To demonstrate the platform's capability in selecting functional units based on physicochemical properties.

Main Methods:

• * Development of a seven-module automated system: droplet generator, transfer, sorting, splitter, incubation, reservoir, and injectors.
• * Integration of modules using LabVIEW™ for synchronized operation.
• * Proof-of-principle experiments involving osmotic exchange in droplets with varying osmolarity.

Main Results:

• * Successful demonstration of individual module functionality.
• * Observation of osmotic exchange between glycylglycine-containing and pure aqueous droplets.
• * Evidence that droplets with higher osmolarity exhibited increased size, indicating selection advantage.

Conclusions:

• * The automated platform can drive cycles of droplet evolution (birth, selection, fusion, propagation).
• * The system effectively selects functional units based on simple physicochemical criteria.
• * This approach combines automation efficiency with the ability to explore chemical evolution for origin of life studies.