A simplified design for the C. elegans lifespan machine

Mark Abbott¹, Stephen A. Banse², Ilija Melentijevic¹, Cody M. Jarrett², Jonathan St. Ange¹, Christine A. Sedore², Ron Falkowski¹, Benjamin W. Blue², Anna L. Coleman-Hulbert², Erik Johnson², Max Guo³, Gordon J. Lithgow⁴, Patrick C. Phillips², Monica Driscoll¹

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¹ Rutgers University, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

² Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA

³ Division of Aging Biology, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

⁴ The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA

JBM 2020 , 7(4), 1; https://doi.org/10.14440/jbm.2020.332

Published: 26 October 2020

© 2020 by the author. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) lifespan assays constitute a broadly used approach for investigating the fundamental biology of longevity. Traditional C. elegans lifespan assays require labor-intensive microscopic monitoring of individual animals to evaluate life/death over a period of weeks, making large-scale high throughput studies impractical. The lifespan machine developed by Stroustrup et al. (2013) adapted flatbed scanner technologies to contribute a major technical advance in the efficiency of C. elegans survival assays. Introducing a platform in which large portions of a lifespan assay are automated enabled longevity studies of a scope not possible with previous exclusively manual assays and facilitated novel discovery. Still, as initially described, constructing and operating scanner-based lifespan machines requires considerable effort and expertise. Here we report on design modifications that simplify construction, decrease cost, eliminate certain mechanical failures, and decrease assay workload requirements. The modifications we document should make the lifespan machine more accessible to interested laboratories.

Keywords

Caenorhabditis elegans

lifespan machine

automation

aging

longevity

anti-aging interventions

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