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Cell Trainer Researchers from Tufts University and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University presented the open-source Cell Trainer setup on August 13, 2026. It delivers precisely defined pulses of chemicals to cells, reads their response via fluorescent molecular sensors, and adjusts the next pulse as needed. The usual approach to managing cell culture is "bottom-up": genes are turned off, signaling pathways within the cell are altered, and constant doses of drugs are added. However, cells can adapt to such interventions by activating bypass metabolic pathways, developing resistance to the drug, or silencing the inserted gene. In March, Michael Levin noted that physiology lacks tools that account for time and feedback. The Cell Trainer utilizes the same ability of cells to adapt: it delivers a series of stimuli and monitors how their response changes. In a preprint, Patrick Erkinson and Michael Levin's team described a complex consisting of a plate with four separate cell chambers and an automated inverted microscope. Solutions flow through thin channels in the plate, while the microscope moves underneath; the plate itself remains stationary. This setup allows for alternating observation of cells in multiple chambers without shifting the culture with a fluid flow. In a scheduled mode, the authors delivered repeated 2-minute pulses of dimethylsulfoxide to muscle precursor cells, or myoblasts, and a fluorescent sensor showed the calcium content inside each cell. From series to series, the calcium response became stronger: the repeated stimulus elicited a more pronounced reaction. In a second experiment, the setup worked with feedback. Fibroblasts - cells of connective tissue - from a rat kidney produced a fluorescent sensor of cell membrane state and acidity. The program processed a snapshot in under 1 second; when the signal brightness exceeded a set threshold, it delivered an acidic environment for 30 seconds. This system returned the indicator to the target range. The authors released the designs of the optical block, hardware schematics, and software code, as described in Nature Aging, July 2026. The Cell Trainer provides laboratories with a reproducible way to conduct experiments on cell cultures where repeated stimuli need to be delivered, responses measured, and checked if the cell's physiological state can be directed to change. 🔗 Read original →