BioMicroCenter:News/2009/January

JANUARY/FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
January/February 2009 - HIGHLIGHTS
 * New BioMicro Website at http://web.mit.edu/biomicro
 * New plate reader available for use in 68-252d.
 * Tecan EVO robotic training Feb 14th
 * BioMicro Center Renovation in February

It has been a very busy month in the BioMicro Center and we have a number of improvements to share with everyone. First, this month we have activated our new website (http://web.mit.edu/biomicro). This page has information about all of the resources available at the BioMicro Center as well as forms for download, calendars to schedule time on our machines and prices. The website is also set up as a wiki on the OpenWetWare platform to create a repository for information to help optimize experiments and to help shape the site to make it more useful to you. We are continuing to improve the site so check back often. You can sign up for a wiki account.

This month we also introduced the Varioskan plate reader. This plate reader can handle plates from 6 to 384 wells and can do fluorometrics, lumisetrics and photometrics at most wavelengths between 200 and 1000nm (there is some variability depending on the application). The Varioskan is also capable of doing real time kinetic experiments and has the ability to add up to three reagents to the plate. The Varioskan is currently located in 68-252d. More information, including data validation and a calendar to schedule time on the Varioskan can be found on our website.

We are also proceeding apace with our activation of the Tecan EVO robotic liquid handler. The EVO is able to automate most routine molecular biology protocols for high-throughput. We have scheduled a training session for the EVO on February 14th with the staff from Tecan. If you are interested in learning about the EVO or the types of reactions that can be run on the machine, or in attending the training session, please contact me.

Lastly, we are beginning the process of remodeling the BioMicro Center lab space to create more room. We are planning on doing this stepwise so as to have as minimal an impact on our services as possible, though access to portions of the lab may be restricted at times. The final layout is also on our website along with all of our monthly updates.

-Stuart Levine