Apparatus and methods for simultaneous operation of miniaturized reactors

An apparatus for parallel operation of a plurality of microreactors comprising:

• (a) a chamber equipped with at least one element that supports or secures a microreactor tray inside the chamber;
• (b) a supporting component that holds a signal transmission device, wherein the supporting component and microreactor tray are controllably movable with respect to one another;
• and
• (c) a plurality of support structures each of which contains or supports an actuating device.

A microreactor comprising:

• a first body layer that defines a vessel having an interior volume of less than 1 microliter;
• a second body layer that defines a headspace located opposite the vessel;
• and
• a gas-permeable membrane that separates the vessel interior from the second body layer.

A method of selecting a microreactor comprising steps of:

• mounting a plurality of individual microreactors having different designs or volumes in a reactor tray that holds a plurality of microreactors;
• installing the microreactor tray in an apparatus comprising a chamber equipped with a supporting component that holds an excitation or sensing device;
• dispensing reaction components into the individual reactors;
• allowing the reaction to proceed for a period of time;
• measuring at least one reaction output;
• and
• selecting a microreactor in which the reaction results in an optimum value for the reaction output.

A method of monitoring gene expression comprising:

• culturing cells in a microbioreactor, wherein the microbioreactor comprises a vessel with an interior volume of 200 μl or less and means for providing oxygen to the interior of the vessel;
• harvesting some or all of the cells;
• contacting RNA obtained from the cells, or a nucleic acid transcription product of such nucleic acid, with a microarray comprising probes for a plurality of genes under conditions such that hybridization occurs;
• and
• collecting a signal from the microarray, wherein the signal is indicative of the expression level of at least one gene.