Notes 20110623

• Attendees: David Rostcheck, Philip Wrage, Jonathan Shook, John Haskins, Joe Southwell
• Makerspace space committee is likely going to swap us into a portion of classroom 2/electronics bay because bio interest is growing and it's bigger
• John took the MIT 7.012 intro biology lectures online. He noted that 7.012 lectures punt on cell differentiation and wanted to learn more about it
• Could we do actual research? Some is feasible - for example, sequencing samples of water or air to discover new organisms. See [Craig Venter's exploratory boat expedition] to sample the oceans
• Discussion of animal models - stick to simple organisms (bacteria, yeast, plants, maybe flies)
• Philip has bought some equipment:
  • two thermocyclers
  • two vortexes
  • three gel electrophoresis rig
  • two power supplies (one working, one needs repair)
  • over 100 flasks
  • 100 expired but maybe still useful DNA purification kits
  • one micro-centrifuge (no speed control - adding speed reduction control might be cool project)
  • a shaking, heated water bath (condition unknown)
  • binocular oil immersion microscope
  • UV illuminating box
  • Stackable bioreactors
  • Micropipette tips (various sizes; won't do any good until we have micropipetters)
• We still need:
  • Bunsen burner
  • Innoculating loops
  • Basic chemicals and enzymes
  • Micropipetters ($300 new from China, most expensive needed item, requires training to use and controlled access because they're delicate)
• The seller he bought them from has more centrifuges and maybe more useful stuff
• We should put up a wish list of things we want, so members can buy and donate them
• We can build an incubator, or buy cheap on eBay
• A pressure cooker is a sufficient alternative to an autoclave. See if we can find one on Craigslist.
• Still looking for -80 C freezers. Philip's seller has stainless racks for them.
• Philip explained the theory of how to clone a gene
• Can we build out own sequencer? Yes, maybe, although we can also buy them for a few thousand on eBay (unknown whether software is included)
  • Search results for DNA sequencer (ebay)
• David R talked to Raymond McCauley from BioCurious about lessons learned. Most of them were not so applicable to us: they had real issues negotiating the regulatory bureaucracy around zoning and safety that appear to be more specific to California. Being embedded in the Makerspace also helps us
• Andrew Hessel suggests talking to GenSpace in NYC; they have a very effective model.
• The book "BioPunk" came out and is arousing interest in synthetic biology
  • NPR: All Things Considered podcast
• There was a recent USA Today article on BioCurious
• Next steps: design trays and combs for gel electrophoresis rig
• We talked through running a PCR lab. We have the equipment (need consumable reagents). To show that the PCR worked, we need to do a gel electrophoresis. However, the ethidium bromide used to bind to the DNA and fluoresce (to show where it ends up) is a seriously dangerous chemical (teratogenic and mutagenic), requires safe handling, locked storage, hazardous waste disposal
• See this article on gel electrophoresis
• And this one on alternatives to ethidium bromide