UW BIOFAB

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

Cami Cordray
Manager
Eric Klavins
Director
Amanda McCraken
Budget/Fiscal Analyst
Software Engineers

Garrett Newman
Software Engineer
Ayesha Saleem
Software Engineer
Justin Vrana
Scientific Consultant
Technicians

Halie Borror
Technician
Ayesha Saleem
Technician
James Leinas
Technician
Luana Paleologu
Technician
Brenda Robles
Technician
Marielle Summers
Technician
Svetlana Alabyeva
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)
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
Electrical Engineering Building
Room B040B
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
Questions & Comments
Don't be afraid to reach out.
biofab@uw.edu
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Logo credit: Daisy James

What is the BIOFAB?

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 transformationsAgrobacterium transformations Mammalian cell culturesCytometryMicroscopyPlate reader assays

Getting Started

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

Management and Admin

Cami Cordray

Manager

Eric Klavins

Director

Amanda McCraken

Budget/Fiscal Analyst

Software Engineers

Garrett Newman

Software Engineer

Ayesha Saleem

Software Engineer

Justin Vrana

Scientific Consultant

Technicians

Halie Borror

Technician

Ayesha Saleem

Technician

James Leinas

Technician

Luana Paleologu

Technician

Brenda Robles

Technician

Marielle Summers

Technician

Svetlana Alabyeva

Technician

Alumni

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?

When are staff in the lab?

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

Why isn’t my task moving forward?

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

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

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

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

What Selectable Yeast Media does the BIOFAB make or use?

What bacterial media does the BIOFAB make or use?

Contact Us

Questions & Comments

Don't be afraid to reach out.

Social Media & MORE

Sample Storage

Workflows and options currently in the pipeline include:
Chemically competent E. coli transformations
Agrobacterium transformations
Mammalian cell cultures
Cytometry
Microscopy
Plate reader assays

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