Labs
Lab writeups:
In the first lab we were oriented into lab work and norms. Got familiar with the concept of pippetting and introduced several different pippettes that will be helpful with transferring different liquid volumes.
Creating the gel: 1 part 50X TAE Electrophoresis 49 part deionized H2O 3g LE Agarose Pouring the gel into the well-molds: Designing the gel-run results in the web interface (It’s a space-invader holding a heart!): Preparing the pcr tubes with restriction enzymes, dna, CutSmart buffer & water:
Week 10 Lab: Mass Spectrometry at Waters
In this week’s lab, we had the pleasure of visiting Waters Immerse Cambridge and learning about mass spectrometry and advanced imaging up close. The team for today: During our visit, we explored several advanced mass spectrometry workflows used for modern protein characterization and biochemical analysis. We learned how LC-MS can be used to determine molecular weight, probe protein folding and structure, and even reconstruct amino acid sequences from peptide fragments. Throughout the lab, we had the opportunity to work closely with cutting-edge instrumentation and gain hands-on exposure to techniques commonly used in both research and industry.
Week 11 Lab: Global Experiment
Labwork this week was integrated into the week’s homework assignment :)
This week’s lab was about getting familiar with cuttind-edge lab automation tools. We were introduced to the Opentron, which to me was a close relative to 3d printing hardware and other gantry based fabrication method. It runs on a python script indicating coordinates for the working head to go-to, and has a pump and a motor where you would imagine the filament extruder motor and the heating element to be in a standard FDM 3d printer. Really enjoyed using this cool device.
Labwork this week was integrated into the week’s homework assignment :)
Labwork this week was integrated into the week’s homework assignment :)
This week our lab was about the Gibson Assembly process. We edited an exisiting plasmid by fragmenting it and ‘stiching’ it back with a mutated fragment. Our goal was to introduce a mutation of the chromophore of amilCP - a purple chromoprotein originally from the coral Acropora millepora - to generate new color variants that would be expressed in E.Coli bacteria. We did so by using PCR primers that already had the color mutations incorporated, and assembled it into a plasmid containing the elements needed for replication and expression in bacteria. The plasmid was then transformed into E. coli so the cells grow and express the mutated protein.
This week, The lab was conducted in-class using Ally Huang’s very cool ‘Mini PCR’ educational kit.