1. How to Manage a Biotech Lab
Ellyn Daugherty
SM Biotech Career Pathway

2. 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
Other Issues

3. Facility Lay-out/Workflow/Storage
Student movement, bottle necks, & time constraints
Set up at individual lab stations vs. common work areas
Replicate work areas - avoid long waits and “long distance”
Strategically placed tables, carts, deionized water, sinks
Gas/Bunsen burner placement?
Storage areas - immediate, store-term, and long-term

4. 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.)

5. 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)

6. Chemicals & Chemical Storage
Chemical must be stored probably to protect user and reagents
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 or portable)
Gloves (latex vs. nitrile) and goggles
See for much more information on chemical safety

7. 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
> Certain cell lines must be stored at -70°C or below or lose competence or viability
Do not use frost-free 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

8. 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
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

9. 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)
Autoclave bio-contaminated items 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

10. 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)
Use hot hand protectors 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

11. 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 > Weigh Stations
> “Darwin” Refrigerator > “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)
Build time into the schedule for inventory and lab station/workplace maintenance

12. 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)

13. Get even more help! Ellyn Daugherty Amy Naum Holly Ahern
SM Biotech Career Pathway
Amy Naum
VWR Ed/Sargent Welch
Holly Ahern
VWR Ed/Sargent Welch