Difference between revisions of "Group:Biohacking"

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* [[Other genetic tests to try]]
 
* [[Other genetic tests to try]]
  
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===Schedule====
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===Schedule===
 
November/December 2012 - Refine DNA extraction process to get it working consistently, and complete blood typing and sex typing experiments. Also do the self cloning protocol from NCBE to learn transformation procedures.
 
November/December 2012 - Refine DNA extraction process to get it working consistently, and complete blood typing and sex typing experiments. Also do the self cloning protocol from NCBE to learn transformation procedures.
 
November 2012 - early 2012 - Get a larger lab space with a licence to do genetic modification, and get the funding to do this.
 
November 2012 - early 2012 - Get a larger lab space with a licence to do genetic modification, and get the funding to do this.

Revision as of 10:46, 12 November 2012

Biohacking / DIYBio at LHS

We are the biohacking group at the London Hackspace, a mix of amateur and professional biologists, attracted by the potential of DIYbio and synthetic biology. Anyone is welcome, so get involved! It's fascinating, the field and community is growing all the time, together with the ability of amateurs to do cool stuff. Over the past year we've been developing our equipment, optimising techniques and running some research projects.

Our current projects / schedule

We're currently working on genetic testing, identifying specific genes using PCR and electrophoresis. We've been working mainly on sex typing with amelogenin, and have just started working on plant species testing to refine our DNA extraction and PCR process. In August and September we worked with the UCL igem team to develop a 'public biobrick'.

Our big goal for the next year is to begin projects involving genetic modification. For this we'll need to become certified as a class 1 lab, we are currently collecting information on how to do this.

Schedule

November/December 2012 - Refine DNA extraction process to get it working consistently, and complete blood typing and sex typing experiments. Also do the self cloning protocol from NCBE to learn transformation procedures. November 2012 - early 2012 - Get a larger lab space with a licence to do genetic modification, and get the funding to do this.

People

Andy, Joel, Mike, Nicholas, Paddy, Paul, Simon, Taylor, Tom, Tonderai, Will

How to find us

  1. Come to a meeting: we meet at 7pm every Wednesday in the London Hackspace: Unit 24, Cremer Business Centre, 37 Cremer Street, London E2 8HD. Email Nicholas if you can't find the place.
  2. Post on the biohacking mailing list. You can view the mailing list archives through the previous link or through the google groups interface.

Membership

We encourage you to become a member of the biohacking group. Biohacking is more expensive than the typical hackspace activity, and with your membership we can pay for chemicals, primers, and any random equipment we may need.

To become a member, set up a standing order to the London Hackspace with the reference "biohacking". You need to become a hackspace member before you can see the direct debit details. Look here for more information. If you want to become a Biohacking member without joining the space (you really should join the hackspace! It's great), get in contact with Nicholas.

The suggested donation is £2 a week.

Our standard protocols / how to's

Our reagents + equipment

Shopping list (See wet stuff for sources and prices)

  • Agarose (nearly run out)
  • 1.5ml and 0.75ml tubes
  • Taq readymix (nearly run out)
  • 10X TBE (Could make this?)
  • Jim paid 108.99 for company formation + registered office etc. Needs to be reimbursed.
  • Would be good to get some tubes that can hold up to 10ml for spinning down stuff in the big centrifuge.
  • Ladder is running low

Wish list

  • If extractions keep failing, lets look at some extraction kits. This one recommended by Tom is ∼£100 for 100 reactions or ∼£250 for 500 extractions.
  • A more consistent and effective way of crushing/homogenising small amounts of tissue for DNA extraction. Blenders are good but not for small quantities. Pestles are ok, but not great. One idea is to make a small pestle by melting a pipette tip then using a PCR tube as a mortar. Some labs use liquid nitrogen or a sonicator.
  • Spectrophotometer for measuring DNA concentration. Simon and Tom are on this.
  • Another centrifuge, if ours breaks down, or a dremelfuge. One option is a Dremelfuge - microcentrifuge to be made on a 3D printer. Can print a new one, or buy pre printed for £50 from shapeways. Another option could be this £100 13,000rpm centrifuge from ncbe. Says it's only for schools but we can try and persuade them. If we want a chilled centrifuge we can put it in the fridge / freezer.
  • Another PCR machine. One option is the Open Source, Hackable PCR machine. Another is the Light Bulb PCR less than $50 to build this machine (including the $30 arduino)

Resources

Education

A primer for synthetic biology

Community

PCR primer design

Suppliers

Cf. Suppliers.

  • Sigma-Aldrich - Good for custom primers
  • Cole-Parmer
  • Farnell
  • NBSBio - Good for ladders and cheap agarose (only low concentration) [NB: Be sure to navigate to http://www.nbsbio.co.uk NOT http://nbsbio.co.uk, or their payment system doesn't work. Weird.]
  • New England Biolabs Good for TAQ
  • VWR] - Big supplier of chemicals, glassware and various lab stuff. Sounds very positive about selling to the hackspace. Bugs is in the process of setting up an account with them.
  • Invitrogen Don't seem to want to sell to us

Proposed code of conduct

See here: http://wiki.hackspace.org.uk/wiki/Biohacking/Code_of_Conduct

FAQ about DIYBio

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