• 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 Michelle Parks (mnparks@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

    Michelle Parks

    Manager

    Amanda McCraken

    Fiscal Specialist

  • Software Engineers

    Yaoyu Yang

    Software Engineer

    Garrett Newman

    Software Engineer

    Ayesha Saleem

    Software Engineer

  • Technicians

    Aza Allen

    Technician 

    Paige Almond

    Technician

    Cami Cordray

    Technician

    Ayesha Saleem

    Technician 

    Marielle Summers

    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)

  • News

    Check here for updates and announcements regarding the BIOFAB!

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  • 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

    uwbiofab@gmail.com

     

    OR fill out the comment form below.

     

    Lab phone number:

    (206) 221-0941

     

    BIOFAB

    Electrical Engineering Building

    Room B040B

    University of Washington

    Seattle, WA 98195

  • Questions & Comments

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    Logo credit: Daisy James

© 2016 UW BIOFAB