How to Manage a Biotech Lab

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How to Manage a Biotech Lab
Ellyn Daugherty SM Biotech Career
Pathway www.SMBiotech.com www.BiotechEd.com www.em
cschool.com/biotechnology www.sargentwelch.com/bio
tech Ellyn_at_BiotechEd.com 650-400-9424
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Setting up and Managing a Biotech Lab

• Things to Consider
• 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

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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, short-term, and
  long-term

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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
• gt 1 hot plate stirrer/lab station
• gt 1 spectrophotometer/lab station
• gt a trash bucket/lab station
• gt 1 (serological) pipet rack/table
• gt 1 micropipet stand/table
• gt a box of gloves/table
• Strategic use of drawers and cabinets
• gt Small instrument drawer
• (pipet pumps, micropipet tips, pen, tape,
  scissors, goggles, etc.)
• gt Student storage drawer
• gt Small equipment reagent cabinet
• (gel boxes, power supplies, large volumes of
  buffer, etc.)

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Common Work Areas

• In strategic locations common work stations
• gt electronic analytical weighing stations
• gt pH meter/pH adjustment station
• gt centrifuge station, UV spec station
• gt refrigerators and freezers (mini-?)
• gt gel staining and visualization station
• gt incubation ovens, water baths,
• heat blocks, microwaves
• gt deionized water (dH20)
• gt autoclaves and drying ovens
• gt supply tables/supply carts
• Hoods
• gt Laminar flow hoods vs. bio-safety cabinets
• (for sterile work, protect user and samples)
• gt Chemical fume hoods
• (for dispensing organics, caustics, flammables,
  noxious)

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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/corrosives cabinet for bases, acids,
  peroxides yellow and white 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

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Refrigerator/Freezer Storage

• Most samples are labeled with storage temp
• Virtually all protein, DNA, and cell samples must
  be stored at 4C (refrig) or at -20C (lab
  freezer)
• gt Store lyophilized (powdered) protein or DNA
  samples at -20C, unless otherwise labeled
• gt Store protein samples alphabetically
• gt Record the date on reagents upon arrival, then
  record when the sample is first opened
• gt Certain cell lines must be stored at -70C 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
  freezers for different courses

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Student Sample Storage

• Room Temp Storage
• gt chemicals, many buffers
• Refrigerator/Cooler (4C) Storage
• gt most protein or DNA student samples
• Freezer (-20C) Storage
• gt some protein or DNA student samples
• gt glycerol stock/cell samples for IR (?)
• (some required -80)
• The more you can separate student samples the
  more time is saved
• gt Consider separate lab refrigerators and
  freezers (4.0 cu ft models) or different shelves
  in large volume coolers or freezers

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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
  _at_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

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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

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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
• gt Chem Stockroom A-G gt Weigh Stations
• gt Darwin Refrigerator gt 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

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Managing Time

• Decide what is really important for YOU to do
• gt what things should you really grade and how
  should you grade them
• gt what task others can do for you (students,
  administrators, committee members)
• gt 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.
• gt faster agarose gels (LB buffer system)
• gt faster protein PAGE gels (UV-gel system)
• gt DNA visualization dye in the loading dye
• gt faster restriction digestion enzymes
• gt using high-efficiency competent cells
• for transformation
• Start thinking like a CEO (of your biotech
  company)

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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)

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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

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Get even more help!
Ellyn Daugherty SM Biotech Career
Pathway www.SMBiotech.com www.BiotechEd.com www.em
cschool.com/biotechnology www.sargentwelch.com/bio
tech Ellyn_at_BiotechEd.com
Heather Johnson VWR/Sargent Welch www.sargentwelch
.com/biotech Heather_Johnson_at_vwreducation.com
Lynn Grady VWR/Sargent Welch www.sargentwelch.com/
biotech lynn_grady_at_vwreducation.com