The system is based on the detection of the movement of worms through the infrared light scattering effect. This system has a detection area composed of more than 20,000 infrared microbeams, each 100 μm in width. This array of beams illuminates the microplate from the bottom, while a 6-camera video optical system (1M-pixel each) captures the light beams that pass through the sample. The software processes the analog signal, and the detection algorithm acquires the signal from each microbeam and processes it mathematically to detect the light scattering caused by the animals’ movement. When the system detects movement, the activity counter is incremented. The total calculated activity will be the integration of activity events in a time frame defined by the user.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) constructed on plant-based platforms can be produced on a large scale as plants can be grown cheaply and efficiently without the need for expensive cell culture facilities associated with fermentation systems. Additionally, the risk of plant introduction of foreign human pathogens is very low.