Provides the basic laboratory skills and knowledge to pursue a career in biotechnology. Written by four biotechnology instructors with over 20 years of teaching experience, it incorporates instruction, exercises, and laboratory activities that the authors have been using and perfecting for years. These exercises and activities help students understand the fundamentals of working in a biotechnology laboratory. Building skills through an organized and systematic presentation of materials, procedures, and tasks, the manual explores overarching themes that relate to all biotechnology workplaces including forensic, clinical, quality control, environmental, and other testing laboratories. Features: Provides clear instructions and step-by-step exercises to make learning the material easier for students (There are Lab Notes for Instructors in the Support Material (see tab below) Emphasizes fundamental laboratory skills that prepare students for the industry Builds students’ skills through an organized and systematic presentation of materials, procedures, and tasks Updates reflect recent innovations and regulatory requirements to ensure students stay up to date Supplies skills suitable for careers in forensic, clinical, quality control, environmental, and other testing laboratories

Table of Contents:
UNIT I SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY Unit Introduction SAFETY PART 1: CREATING A SAFE WORKPLACE Fundamental Principles Classroom Activity 1: Performing a Risk Assessment Classroom Activity 2: Exploring Safety-Related Government Web Sites Classroom Activity 3: Responding to Emergencies SAFETY PART 2: WORKING SAFELY WITH CHEMICALS Fundamental Principles Classroom Activity 4: Understanding the Chemicals with Which You Work Classroom Activity 5: Personal Protection Laboratory Exercise 1: Tracking the Spread of Chemical Contamination Classroom Activity 6: Analyzing Safety Issues in a Laboratory Procedure SAFETY PART 3: WORKING SAFELY WITH BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS Fundamental Principles Laboratory Exercise 2: Production of Bioaerosols and Factors Affecting Aerosol Production Unit Discussion Safety Contract, student copy Safety Contract, to turn in UNIT II DOCUMENTATION IN THE LABORATORY Unit Introduction Classroom Activity 7: Being an Auditor Laboratory Exercise 3: Keeping a Laboratory Notebook Classroom Activity 8: Writing and Following an SOP Unit Discussion UNIT III METROLOGY IN THE LABORATORY Unit Introduction Laboratory Exercise 4: Recording Measurements with the Correct Number of Significant Figures Classroom Activity 9: Constructing a Simple Balance Laboratory Exercise 5: Weight Measurements 1: Good Weighing Practices Laboratory Exercise 6: Weight Measurements 2: Performance Verification Laboratory Exercise 7: Volume Measurements 1: Proper Use of Volume Measuring Devices Laboratory Exercise 8: Volume Measurements 2: Performance Verification of a M Micropipette Laboratory Exercise 9: Measuring pH with Accuracy and Precision Unit Discussion UNIT IV SPECTROPHOTOMETRY AND THE MEASUREMENT OF LIGHT Unit Introduction Laboratory Exercise 10: Color and the Absorbance of Light Laboratory Exercise 11: Concentration, Absorbance, and Transmittance Laboratory Exercise 12: Preparing a Standard Curve With Food Coloring and Using it for Quantitation Classroom Activity 10: Beer’s Law and Calculating an Absorptivity Constant Laboratory Exercise 13: Determination of the Absorptivity Constant for ONP Unit Discussion UNIT V BIOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS Unit Introduction Classroom Activity 11: Getting Ready to Prepare Solutions with One Solute: Calculations Classroom Activity 12: Getting Ready to Prepare Solutions with One Solute: Ordering Chemicals Laboratory Exercise 14: Preparing Solutions with One Solute Laboratory Exercise 15: Preparing Solutions to the Correct Concentration Laboratory Exercise 16: Working with Buffers Laboratory Exercise 17: Preparing Breaking Buffer Laboratory Exercise 18: Preparing TE Buffer Laboratory Exercise 19: More Practice Making a Buffer Laboratory Exercise 20: Making a Quality Product in a Simulated Company Unit Discussion UNIT VI ASSAYS Unit Introduction Laboratory Exercise 21: Two Qualitative Assays Laboratory Exercise 22: UV Spectrophotometric Assay of DNA: Quantitative Application Laboratory Exercise 23: UV Spectrophotometric Assay of DNA and Proteins: Qualitative Applications Laboratory Exercise 24: The Bradford Protein Assay: Learning the Assay Laboratory Exercise 25: The Bradford Protein Assay: Exploring Assay Verification Laboratory Exercise 26: The Beta-Galactosidase Enzyme Assay Laboratory Exercise 27: Comparing the Specific Activity of Two Preparations of Beta-Galactosidase Laboratory Exercise 28: Using Spectrophotometry for Quality Control: Niacin Unit Discussion UNIT VII BIOLOGICAL SEPARATION METHODS Unit Introduction Classroom Activity 13: Planning for Separating Materials Using a Centrifuge Laboratory Exercise 29: Separation of Two Substances Based on Their Differential Affinities for Two Phases Laboratory Exercise 30: Separation and Identification of Dyes Using Paper Chromatography Laboratory Exercise 31: Separating Molecules by Agarose Gel Electrophoresis Laboratory Exercise 32: Using Agarose Gel Electrophoresis to Perform an Assay Laboratory Exercise 33: Optimizing Agarose Gel Electrophoresis Laboratory Exercise 34: Quantification of DNA by Agarose Gel Electrophoresis Laboratory Exercise 35: Introduction to Ion Exchange Column Chromatography Unit Discussion UNIT VIII GROWING CELLS Unit Introduction GROWING CELLS PART I: BACTERIAL CELLS Laboratory Exercise 36: Using a Compound Light Microscope Laboratory Exercise 37: Aseptic Technique on an Open Lab Bench Laboratory Exercise 38: Working with Bacteria on an Agar Substrate: Isolating Individual Colonies Laboratory Exercise 39: Gram Staining Laboratory Exercise 40: Preparing Phosphate-Buffered Saline Laboratory Exercise 41: The Aerobic Spread-Plate Method of Enumerating Colony- Forming Units Laboratory Exercise 42: Preparing a Growth Curve for E. coli GROWING CELLS PART 2: MAMMALIAN CELLS Laboratory Exercise 43: Aseptic Technique in a Biological Safety Cabinet Laboratory Exercise 44: Making Ham’s F12 Medium from Dehydrated Powder Laboratory Exercise 45: Examining, Photographing, and Feeding CHO Cells Laboratory Exercise 46: Counting Cells Using a Hemocytometer Laboratory Exercise 47: Subculturing CHO Cells Laboratory Exercise 48: Preparing a Growth Curve for CHO Cells Unit Discussion APPENDICES 1. Abbreviations and Acronyms Used in this Laboratory Manual 2. Glossary 3. Selected Bibliography 4. Brief Metric Review 5. Calculating Standard Deviation 6. Equipment, Supplies, and Reagents Required for Each Unit 7. Recipes and Preparation Notes