Team:TU Eindhoven/Safety/Our Lab

Our Lab

The laboratory of Chemical Biology (see Figure 1 for a plan) is located in the building Helix on the TU Eindhoven campus. This laboratory is part of the department of Biomedical Engineering. The laboratory of Chemical Biology consists of two catagories of laboratories. The first one is a ML-I laboratory with biosafety level 1 (WHO BSL 1). Most of the work at the ML-I lab involves recombinant expression of proteins in E. coli or in yeast expression systems and the application of bacteriophages for phage display. The second one is a ML-II laboratory (cell lab) with biosafety level 2 (WHO BSL 2). Work in the ML-II lab typically involves the use of immortalized cell lines, but it can also include work with tissues or primary cells from animals or humans.

Figure 1. Plan of the Laboratory of Chemical Biology.

Safety Equipment

The basic protection equipment that we use in the wet lab are lab coats, safety goggles and gloves. Lab coats and safety glasses are always and everywhere used in the lab (ML-I and ML-II). Gloves (mostly latex) are used when handling chemicals and for working DNase free. In the cell lab (ML-II) they are also used for working with biological materials in the biosafety cabinets. Nitrile gloves are used for handling chemicals that pass through latex or for persons allergic to latex. Cryo-gloves and heat-resistant gloves are used for handling cold and hot materials respectively. Also the fume hood is used when working with hazardous or toxic fumes.

Figure 2. Safety equipment

Working Equipment

A lot of equipment was used during our project. The most important equipment is standard equipment like pipettes and pipettes tips to measure and transport liquids, but also the Bunsen Burner to work sterile and centrifuges to spin the samples were used. Also other equipment is used like the PCR machine for DNA amplification and gel electrophoresis apparatus for gel extraction.

Figure 3. Working equipment

Figure 4. Open top bench with amongst other pipets, pipets tips, centrifuge, Bunsen burner and PCR machine.

Figure 5. Gel electrophoresis and SDS-page place.

Figure 6. Storage place for chemicals.

Figure 7. High speed centrifuge and other lab materials.

Figure 8. Working in the lab.