RESUMO
Robotics-accelerated Evolution techniques improve the reliability and speed of evolution using feedback control, improving the outcomes of protein and organism evolution experiments. In this article, we present a guide to setting up the hardware and software necessary to implement Phage- and Robotics-assisted Near-continuous Evolution (PRANCE). PRANCE combines fast phage-based molecular evolution with the ability to run hundreds of independent, feedback-controlled evolution experiments simultaneously. This paper will describe the hardware requirements and setup for PRANCE, including a liquid-handling instrument, a plate reader, auxiliary pumps, heaters, and 3D-printed containers. We describe how to configure the liquid handling robot to be compatible with Python-based open-source software. Finally, we provide suggestions for the first two experiments that can be conducted with a newly constructed PRANCE system that exercises its capabilities and validates that the system is ready to conduct multiplexed evolution. This guide is intended to serve as a handbook for navigating the considerable equipment setup associated with conducting robotics-accelerated evolution.