How to Manage a Biotech Lab
Ellyn Daugherty
SM Biotech Career Pathway
www.SMBiotech.com
www.BiotechEd.com
www.emcschool.com/biotechnology
www.sargentwelch.com/biotech
Ellyn@BiotechEd.com
650-400-9424
Setting up and Managing a Biotech Lab
Things to Consider:
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Lay-out/Workflow/Storage
Lab Stations
Common Work Areas
Chemicals/Chemical Storage
Refrigerator/Freezer Storage
Student Sample Storage
Waste Disposal
Other Safety Issues
Inventory/Ordering
Managing Time
Other Issues
Facility Lay-out/Workflow/Storage
• Consider student movement,
bottlenecks, & time constraints
• Set up at individual lab stations
vs. common work areas, or vice
versa
• Replicate work areas - avoid long
waits and “long distance”
• Strategically placed tables, carts,
deionized water, sinks
• Gas/Bunsen burner placement
(needed only in hoods)
• Storage areas - immediate, shortterm, and long-term
Lab Stations
• Students work at lab station in pairs (lab partners)
• 2 pairs at a lab station (lab table)
• A minimum on the lab table
> 1 hot plate stirrer/lab station
> 1 spectrophotometer/lab station
> a trash bucket/lab station
> 1 (serological) pipet rack/table
> 1 micropipet stand/table
> a box of gloves/table
• Strategic use of drawers and cabinets
> Small instrument drawer
(pipet pumps, micropipet tips, pen, tape, scissors, goggles,
etc.)
> Student storage drawer
> Small equipment & reagent cabinet
(gel boxes, power supplies, large volumes of buffer, etc.)
Common Work Areas
• In strategic locations – common work stations
> electronic & analytical weighing stations
> pH meter/pH adjustment station
> centrifuge station, UV spec station
> refrigerators and freezers (mini-?)
> gel staining and visualization station
> incubation ovens, water baths,
heat blocks, microwaves
> deionized water (dH20)
> autoclaves and drying ovens
> supply tables/supply carts
• Hoods
> Laminar flow hoods vs. bio-safety cabinets
(for sterile work, protect user and samples)
> Chemical fume hoods
(for dispensing organics, caustics, flammables, noxious)
Chemicals & Chemical Storage
• Chemicals must be stored probably to protect
user and reagents
• Most districts have specific policies for
chemical storage (find out about yours)
• Chemical storeroom/chemical cabinet for
“general safe” chemicals = green labels
• Flammables cabinet for alcohols, etc
= red labels
• Oxidizers/
cabinet for bases, acids,
peroxides = yellow and
labels
• Toxics cabinet (locked) for EtBr = blue labels
• Chemical fume hood (built in vs portable)
• Gloves (latex vs. nitrile vs. others) and
goggles
See www.scholarchemistry.com for much
more information on chemical safety
Refrigerator/Freezer Storage
• Most samples are labeled with storage temp
• Virtually all protein, DNA, and cell samples must
be stored at 4°C (refrig) or at -20°C (lab
freezer)
> Store lyophilized (powdered) protein or DNA
samples at -20°C, unless otherwise labeled
> Store protein samples alphabetically
> Record the date on reagents upon arrival,
then record when the sample is first opened
> Certain cell lines must be stored at -70°C or
below or lose competence or viability
• Do not use defrosting (cycling)
refrigerator/freezers
• Repeated freezing/thawing compromises most
samples (aliquot samples on receipt into more
usable volumes)
• If possible, have designated refrigerators and
Student Sample Storage
• Room Temp Storage
> chemicals, many buffers
• Refrigerator/Cooler (4°C) Storage
> most protein or DNA student samples
• Freezer (-20°C) Storage
> some protein or DNA student samples
> glycerol stock/cell samples for IR (?)
(some required -80°)
• The more you can separate student samples
the more time is saved
> Consider separate lab refrigerators and
freezers (4.0 cu ft models) or different shelves
in large volume coolers or freezers
Waste Disposal
• Most districts have specific policies for waste disposal (find out about yours)
• Most hazardous waste must be collected and disposed of by professionals
• Need biohazard bags for biological hazards = plates (no sharp items), fill
only ½ full
• Autoclave bio-contaminated items 15-20 mins @15-20 psi before trash
• Bio-contaminated loops and tubes can be soaked in 10% bleach for 30
min before regular trash
• Many chemicals may not go down drain (see district rules), ie. CuSO4,
silver nitrate, EtBr?, etc
• Label waste with type/concentration/date
Other Safety Issues
• Gloves and goggles at every lab station and workstation, for all chem work
• No gloves for work with Bunsen burner or microwave (burn hazard). Explore
silicon gloves.
• Use hot hand protectors or lab mitts for hot bottles/beakers
• Disinfectants at each hood (1x Lysol® or Amphyl®), where bacteria is used
• Use of 10% bleach or 70% EtOH, where plant tissues are used
• Use of lid-locks for 1.7 mL tubes and hot heat blocks
• Safety shower, eyewash
• Broken glass cartons, fire extinguisher at several places
Inventory/Ordering
• Keep a record (Excel® spreadsheet with vendor, manufacturer, description, package size, part
number, etc.) of all materials used and received.
• Use inventory sheets to help
keep areas clean and organized
• Assign student groups the responsibility to maintain/inventory a
particular area
> Chem Stockroom A-G
> “Darwin” Refrigerator
> Weigh Stations
> “Watson”, “Crick” Freezers
• Have inventory sheets at each lab station and require inventory sign-off
at the beginning and end of class (Biotech Live Ch 3)
• Have a place that students can record when a “last bottle” is ½ full (use
to amend orders)
• Make time for inventory and lab station/workplace maintenance
Managing Time
• Decide what is really important for YOU to do
> what things should you really grade and how should you grade them
> what task others can do for you (students, administrators, committee members)
> how many jobs do you actually have (teaching, coaching, dept chair, etc.)
• Start learning some of the faster, better, cheaper ways of doing some of
the lab techniques.
> faster agarose gels (LB buffer system)
> faster protein PAGE gels (UV-gel system)
> DNA visualization dye in the loading dye
> faster restriction digestion enzymes
> using high-efficiency competent cells
for transformation
• Start thinking like a CEO (of your biotech company)
Other Issues
• Computers – keep them away from
chemicals and water
• Not enough space – portable items?
• Alphabetized small items drawers or
containers
• Cable-lock down balances, computers
• Designated hand-washing sinks?
• Lots of paper towels used
• Crushed ice needed/preferred
• Post emergency numbers
• Biotech teacher “in charge” of facility
• Keep getting professional development
• Network with other biotech educators
and ask them questions
(especially about new methods, techniques, equipment)
Other Issues – Getting the Support You Need
• Financial
– Books, Lab Manuals, CDs, etc.
– Equipment/Supplies (Grants, Donations, Giveaways, Bio-Link Depot,
BABEC, Partnerships, etc.)
– Computers
– Release Time
• Curriculum/Professional Development
– Books, Lab Manuals, CDs, etc.
– Workshops and Conferences
• Moral
– Reasonable expectations from Admin
– From Counseling, Clerical, and Admin
– Designated Classroom
– Reasonable amount of Preps
– Reasonable amount of Students
– Reasonable Budget
Get even more help!
Ellyn Daugherty
SM Biotech Career Pathway
www.SMBiotech.com
www.BiotechEd.com
www.emcschool.com/biotechnology
www.sargentwelch.com/biotech
Ellyn@BiotechEd.com