• What is the BIOFAB?

      The UW Biofabrication Center is a unique service laboratory operating through the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Washington. Clients use the Aquarium software to store sample information and remotely submit molecular biology and microbiology jobs. Technicians in the BIOFAB execute the protocols and upload the results to Aquarium. Therefore, cloning projects can be executed from start to finish, without the client ever having to touch a pipette! Records of all jobs and samples are permanently stored in the Aquarium inventory database, eliminating the need for messy lab notebooks and complex inventory systems.

      Check out the commercial below!

    • Services Offered

      Plasmid Construction and Verification

      With primer ordering via IDT, PCRs, gel electrophoresis, Gibson Assemblies, electrocompetent E. coli transformations, and sequencing verification via Genewiz.

      Yeast Strain Construction and Verification

      With yeast comp cells preparation, yeast transformations, and strain verification via colony PCR and QIAxcel bioanalyzer. Cytometry and yeast mating available upon request.

      Media and Reagent Preparation

      To support DNA, E. coli and yeast protocols. Available upon request.

      Sample Storage​

      Long-term storage of DNA and yeast strain samples.

      Workflows in Development:

      ​Workflows and options currently in the pipeline include:

      • Chemically competent E. coli transformations
      • Agrobacterium transformations 
      • Mammalian cell cultures
      • Cytometry
      • Microscopy
      • Plate reader assays 

    • Getting Started

      1. Contact us (biofab@uw.edu) to express your interest.
      2. Attend a BIOFAB Workshop (click for calendar).
      3. Set up an Aquarium account (at the workshop).
      4. Link a UW budget number with your Aquarium account.
      5. Start submitting jobs!

    • Management and Admin

      Eric Klavins

      Director

      Cami Cordray

      Manager

      Samer Halabiya

      Manager

      Amanda McCraken

      Budget/Fiscal Analyst

    • Software Engineers

      Yokesh Jayakumar

      Software Engineer

      Justin Vrana

      Scientific Consultant

      Abraham Miller

      Software Engineer

      Jon Luntzel

      Software Engineer

    • Technicians

      Margarita Ankoudinova

      Technician

      Noah Baker

      Technician

      Halie Borror

      Technician

      Aidan Cowles

      Technician

      Sophia D'atri

      Technician

      Shamey Kassim

      Technician

      Andrew Olander

      Technician

      Luana Paleologu

      Technician

      Hannah Park

      Technician

      Sofia Shirley

      Technician

      Aria Tornabene

      Technician

    • Alumni

      Asmaa El-Ghazali Technician (2014-2016)

      Ernesto Coronado Manager (2015-2016)

      Nathan Hwang

      Technician (2014-2016)

      Lindsay Ng

      Technician (2014-2016)

      Delaney Orcutt

      Technician (2015-2016)

      Jack Lee

      Software Engineer (2015-2016)

      Yaoyu Yang

      Software Engineer (2014-2017)

      Yue Shi

      Project Consultant (2017)

      Aza Allen

      Technician (2016-2017)

      Paige Almond

      Technician (2015-2017)

      Muhammad Halimun

      Technician (2016-2017)

      Michelle Parks

      Manager (2013-2017)

      Brenda Robles

      Technician (2016-2017)

      Marielle Summers

      Technician (2013-2018)

      Ayesha Saleem

      Technician/Software Engineer (2016-2018)

      Garrett Newman

      Software Engineer (2015-2018)

      Lana Alabyeva

      Technician (2017-2018)

      Gabriella Fier

      Technician (2018-2018)

      James Leinas

      Technician (2017-2018)

      Xavaar Quaranto

      Technician (2017-2018)

    • News

      Check here for updates and announcements regarding the BIOFAB!

    • Calendar

    • Help

      Here is a list of commonly asked questions and their answers to make your BIOFAB experience better.

      How do I get started with the BIOFAB?

      Check out our getting started page!

      When are staff in the lab?

      8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday through Friday

      9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Saturday and Sunday

      What are the standard tasks, and when are they started?

      The following tasks are submitted and started every day, Monday through Friday (with limited submission Saturday and Sunday):

      • Yeast Strain QC: 9:00 AM
      • Discard Items: 10:30 AM
      • Glycerol Stock: 11:00 AM
      • Gibson Assembly: 11:30 AM
      • Yeast Transformation: 1:00 PM
      • Fragment Construction: 2:30 PM
      • Plasmid Verification: 3:00 PM
      • Streak Plates: 3:00 PM
      • Yeast Competent Cells: 3:00 PM
      • Primer Orders: 4:00 PM

      Yeast Cytometry, Yeast Mating, and Media Preparation as requested.

      Why isn’t my task moving forward?

      In general the first thing to do is to check to make sure that all of the inputs for the given task are correct. Many times tasks get stuck in waiting status purely because the inputs are defined incorrectly. The other thing to keep in mind is the notifications on the home page. Tasks will update you as they proceed forward and sometimes these can take a few days.

      My PCR/Yeast Transformation/Yeast QC/Gibson is not working, what should I do?

      Most of the time tasks fail due to biological reasons. It’s up to you as the scientist to troubleshoot your experiments. The BIOFAB will just perform the tasks that you submit it.

      All my inputs are correct but my stuff isn’t moving forward.

      BIOFAB managers sometimes cap the amount of items in a given task daily. So if there are a large number of requests for a certain task one day your task may be delayed until the next day. Task priority is first submitted first served.

      I submitted a Yeast Mating Task or a Cytometry Task and it hasn’t been run, why?

      These two tasks aren’t in the normal workflow. To run them you must communicate with a BIOFAB manager in order to work it into that days schedule. These requests must be cleared with a BIOFAB manager the day before you want the protocol run.

      What is the correct way to remove a sample from the lab or add a sample to the lab?

      Delete items when they physically leave the lab. Add a new version of the item when an item returns or is created. Make sure it’s physically in the lab before being instantiated.

      What Selectable Yeast Media does the BIOFAB make or use?

      • Liquid: YPAD, Synthetic Complete, Synthetic Drop Out
      • Plates: YPAD, SDO –Histidine, SDO -Tryptophan, SDO -Uracil, SDO –Leucine
      • Yeast Antibiotics: Geneticin (Kan/G418), Bleomycin (Bleo/Zeocin), Hygromycin (Hyg) and nourseothricin (Nat/ClonNat).

      What bacterial media does the BIOFAB make or use?

      • Liquid: LB, TB, TB + Amp, TB + Kan
      • Plates: LB + Amp, LB + Kan, LB + Chlor, LB + Spec

    • Contact Us

      Email

      biofab@uw.edu

       

      OR fill out the comment form below.

       

      Lab phone number:

      (206) 221-0941

       

      BIOFAB

      NanoES Building

      Room 380

      University of Washington

      Seattle, WA 98195

    • Questions & Comments

      Don't be afraid to reach out.

      Submit

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      Logo credit: Daisy James

    © 2016 UW BIOFAB

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