Abstract: Phenotype-based screening remains a major bottleneck in the development of microbial cell factories. Here, we present a Digital Colony Picker (DCP), an AI-powered platform for automated, high-throughput screening and export of microbial clones based on growth and metabolic phenotypes at single-cell resolution, without agar or physical contact. Using a microfluidic chip comprising 16,000 addressable picoliter-scale microchambers, individual cells are compartmentalized, dynamically monitored by AI-driven image analysis, and selectively exported via laser-induced bubble technique. Applied to Zymomonas mobilis, DCP enabled en masse screening and identified a mutant with 19.7% increased lactate production and 77.0% enhanced growth under 30 g/L lactate stress. This phenotype was linked to overexpression of ZMOp39x027, a canonical outer membrane autotransporter that promotes lactate transport and cell proliferation under stress. DCP provides a multi-modal phenotyping solution with spatiotemporal precision and scalable throughput, offering a generalizable strategy for accelerated strain engineering and functional gene discovery.

Abstract: Researchers used high-throughput, label-free Raman flow cytometry (FlowRACS) to identify a lipid-rich Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant. The mutant, with a 30.85% increase in lipid content (40.26%), offers a new pathway for the industrial production of palmitoleic acid, an omega-7 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits.

Abstract: Researchers developed a new platform that reduces the time for diagnosing bloodstream infections and determining effective antibiotics from 48-72 hours to just 12 hours. The system uses microfluidic chips for pathogen detection, identification, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, with AI-assisted imaging to calculate antibiotic efficacy, showing promising results with spiked and cultured samples.

Abstract: Developed the IMSCA strategy to identify and cultivate robust in situ PAOs from environmental samples. Identified Micrococcus luteum MCI5–8 as a novel PAO with unique features: no anaerobic phosphate release, glycogen-based energy storage, and lack of denitrification. Demonstrated enhanced phosphorus removal efficiency from 45 % to 89 % in an AAO reactor upon introducing M. luteum MCI5–8. Provided a broadly applicable framework for functional microbial screening and rational ecosystem engineering in environmental and industrial contexts.

Abstract: Chinese researchers have developed an advanced, high-throughput single-cell sorting platform that enables direct isolation of living cells with targeted metabolic profiles from large mutant libraries. The technology—now commercialized as FlowRACS 3.0—dramatically shortens the traditionally labor-intensive, colony-by-colony screening process for identifying high-value microbial strains. What once took months or even years can now be accomplished in hours or days.

Abstract: Researchers from the Single-Cell Center at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Yili Group, COFCO Corporation, and the University of Hong Kong, have developed an innovative method for comprehensive probiotic product evaluation based on a Raman Flow Cytometry (RFC) platform. This method enables rapid, label-free analysis of identity, viability, and metabolic vitality at the single-cell and strain levels in complex probiotic products, effectively generating a "microbial ID card" for each formulation.