4 | CONCLUSIONS
We described here the design and validation of a modular bioreactor
module that can be operated under various configurations. Each module
can sense and control the pH of its culture medium and can be set to
operate in static or dynamic culturing mode to serve specific
applications. The modular bioreactor design offers flexibility in terms
of culture size, aerobic/anaerobic atmosphere, and static/dynamic
culture. Specifically, the bioreactor design enables the creation of
simple or complex models of digestive tracts of desired culture sizes.
The resulting systems can be used to study the growth and evolution of
cultured microbes, such as gut microbes, independent of host immune
surveillance as well as to determine the response of the microbial
community to controlled availability of specific metabolites that are
normally secreted by the host into the digestive tract.