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Will Anderson

@willaanderson.bsky.social

240 followers 350 following 170 posts

Senior Research Fellow @ The University of Queensland. Background in molecular diagnostics, translational science, and physical chemistry. Designer/builder of scientific equipment... occasionally, they even work!

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Dec 17

A Preprint for our ~$40 USD, open source, 3D printed DNA Fluorometer, the #DIYNAFLUOR, has just been posted to bioRxiv outlining its performance and applications for #eDNA analysis!🦕🧪🧬

A big thanks to all the co-authors!

Preprint
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Git
tinyurl.com/yfh33dsx

#science

DIYNAFLUOR: An Affordable DIY Plug-and-Play Nucleic Acid Fluorometer for eDNA Quantification in Resource Limited Settings

Nucleic Acid (NA) fluorometry is widely employed for quantifying environmental DNA (eDNA) samples and their downstream DNA sequencing libraries, owing to its sensitivity, accuracy, and speed. However,...

www.biorxiv.org

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · 2d

Really looking forward to #CitSciOz25 next week!

I'll be speaking about the #DIYNAFLUOR and some of the outreach programs myself, and others have run using the platform. 🦕🧬🧪

I'll also have a few DIYNAFLUOR kits with me if anyone is interested in building one.

citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/

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Reposted by Will Anderson

Sullivan Lab at OSU @sullivan-lab.bsky.social · 26d

🚨 New tool for viral genomics!

Meet CLAE: a high-fidelity Nanopore sequencing strategy that pushes accuracy to Q30, boosts throughput >800 Mb/100 pores, and recovers full-length viral genomes from complex samples 🌊🦠

👉 [https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202505978]

#viromics #nanopore #genomics

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Aug 10

Oh that's really great to hear!

You are definitely pushing the limits of SYBR-safe assay with those input DNA masses, but glad to see its holding up! 👍

For most library preps, especially for longer Nanopore sequencing libraries, I suspect this accuracy is probably more than sufficient?

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Aug 10

Oh that’s so awesome to hear! Im glad it went well! :)

It’s also fantastic that you were able to make some inter-instrument tests. I’m very keen to see that data! I’ll catch up with Rhonda by email this week.

Congrats on putting together what looks like a great workshop!

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Aug 10

Hey, those look familiar! 😅 Hope the DIYNAFLUOR builds went well?

Pedro Brandão-Dias F Pinto @pedrobd.bsky.social · Aug 9

Lots of field work, lab work, and bioinformatics going on here at the @ednacollab.bsky.social #eDNA workshop.

What an amazing group of enthusiatic, diverse, and hard working people!

15 instruments built, 84 samples collected and over 60 millions reads sequenced. Lots to harvest from this effort.

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Reposted by Will Anderson

eDNAqua-Plan Project @ednaquaplan.bsky.social · Aug 8

A new initiative looks forward to playing a significant role in mapping ocean biodiversity at scale, particularly in remote areas that are often beyond the reach of scientists through the implication of sailors.

Learn more: bit.ly/3ALL2IV

#CitizenScience #eDNA #biodiversity

eDNA is powering a new wave of citizen science — Citizens of the Sea

Beneath the waves lies a hidden realm, teeming with secrets. All creatures, from tiny plankton to majestic whales, leave behind traces of their presence in the form of environmental DNA (eDNA). This e...

bit.ly

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jul 30

A fun little article on the open-source #DIYNAFLUOR DNA Fluorometer and its utility for limited resource researchers on the UQ News page. 🦕🧬

Look at that goofy dork. 😅

news.uq.edu.au/2025-07-dna-...

The DNA analysis device that can be made on a 3D printer

UQ researchers have developed an affordable, open-source DNA measurement tool that can be built using a home 3D printer.

news.uq.edu.au

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jul 25

Also, for those wanting to build fluorescent detection systems that use Eppendorf-style tubes: This why why you don't illuminate them from the bottom. (Unless you want a real challenge. 😅)

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jul 25

Took this photo in the lab today and thought i'd share cause I think it looks neat. 😅

"A lensing effect is produced as LED light passes through the base of a clear sample tube, revealing fluorescently stained proteins in solution."

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jul 18

A small update for the #DIYNAFLUOR project:

We have just released a Mac version of the DIYNAFLUOR software. 🦕🍎

This may be particularly useful for those wanting to QC MinION library preps that are being run on M1-4 Macbooks.

Find the new release on our Git page: github.com/traulab/DIYN...

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jul 10

Wild 👍

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jul 3

Gmail needs an automatic “You have got to be kidding me.” reply option. 😅

Reposted by Will Anderson

Chinna Devarapu @chinnadevarapu.bsky.social · Jul 3

1/8 🧵 Update on the Pocket #Spectrometer project. Been working on upgrading from the AS7341 to AS7343 sensor. The #AS7341 worked well but only had 9 channels. The #AS7343 offers 12 channels which should be better for #colorimetric analysis. #OpenSource 💡

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 25

Haha thanks. Yeah I think the name, and putting a dinosaur on it, has done most of the heavy lifting in terms of getting people interested in the project. 😅

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 25

A really nice write-up from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, on my #DIYNAFLUOR project - an open-source, 3D printable fluorometer for DNA quantitation. 🧬🦕

#STEM #UQresearch #AIBN

aibn.uq.edu.au/article/2025...

DIYNAFLUOR: The $60 device bringing DNA science anywhere

A low-cost, 3D-printed DNA testing device developed at the AIBN is making powerful science more accessible for researchers and students around the world.

aibn.uq.edu.au

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 23

Fantastic event. Really enjoyed the speakers and venue. :)

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 18

Had a great time at the @brisjams.bsky.social event last night. Some great talks about using PacBio sequencing in microbiology.

Also love the venue. More scientific presentations need to take place surrounded by indoor plants. 😅

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Reposted by Will Anderson

JAMS Brisbane @brisjams.bsky.social · Jun 17

PacBio Special 🔬
✨ Proudly Sponsored by AGRF Ltd & PacBio ✨
📅 Date: 18th June 2025
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
📍 Venue: The Burrow, Beer Garden Room, West End
🥗 Free food and refreshments provided

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 16

Oh yeah for sure. Iconic and an MVP. The best of both worlds. 😅

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 16

If you ever make business cards, please make sure it has a picture of your iconic transilluminator in the background. 😅

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 15

Extremely useful research. Thanks for doing this. 👍

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 15

Fantastic work from Anna Kovolenko and team to support the ARCTIC Networks goal to enable portable, low cost, viral sequencing.

The pre-print provides a detailed analysis of alternatives to standard nanopore sequencing library preparation reagents. 👍

Anna (Ganna) Kovalenko @annakovalenko.bsky.social · Jun 15

Ever had to pause genomic surveillance due to enzyme shortages?🫣 Happy to share our new preprint with the solution inside 🦹‍♀️💪 biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
@scalene.bsky.social @chris.primalscheme.com @pathogenomenick.bsky.social @articnetwork.bsky.social @nanoporetech.com

https://biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

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Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 13

I hate to be "that guy", but this paper does not claim to be able to sequence DNA with their solid state pore at this point in time.

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 12

3/3
This is the first time the DIYNAFLUOR has been used for STEM outreach, but the feedback I received from the students and their teachers was really positive!

A huge thanks to everyone in Thurecht and Trau groups from the CAI and AIBN at UQ who helped make this program possible!

Will Anderson @willaanderson.bsky.social · Jun 12

2/3
The students used their DIYNAFLUOR units to characterise fluorescent nanoparticles they synthesised as a part of the program.
I was extremely impressed by how fast they were able to build and validate their DIYNAFLUORS. The fastest group was done in 45 minutes!