BioMicroCenter:Walkup Services
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What are walk-up services?
Walk-up services are those where the BioMicro Center provides training, maintenance, and scheduling of equipment, and may also provide consumables. Users operate the instruments themselves after completing a required training session with BMC staff. Walk-up services are almost exclusively limited to MIT users; non-MIT users should contact biomicro@mit.edu to discuss access.
Walk-up services contrast with assisted services, where samples are delivered to BMC staff for processing. See BioMicroCenter:FAQ for a full definition of both service types.
Scheduling and iLabs
All walk-up equipment is scheduled through iLabs. The equipment calendar lists instruments organized by category (BMC:qPCR, BMC:Varioskan, BMC:BioAnalyzer, BMC:Covaris, etc.).
Note: Items listed as $0 in iLabs are charged per use — you will be asked to enter the number of units when submitting your reservation. The number of units is cross-validated in the lab.
- Reservations must be made at least 4 hours in advance. For last-minute requests, email biomicro@mit.edu.
- To arrange training, email biomicro@mit.edu. Depending on the instrument, staff will instruct you to book a time on the iLabs calendar or coordinate directly.
Training and access
Training by BMC staff is required before using any walk-up instrument. Training sessions are typically one hour and cover instrument operation and best practices. To request training for any instrument, email biomicro@mit.edu.
Walk-up users may use equipment outside of regular business hours. After-hours access to the core requires a one-time sign-up — see the Submission page for the after-hours access form.
Equipment available for walk-up
Click any instrument name for full details, specifications, and scheduling links.
Sample quantification and quality control
| Instrument | Summary | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| LightCycler 480 II (LC480) | Real-time PCR for quantitative and qualitative detection of nucleic acids. Handles 96w and 384w plates; supports SYBR and TaqMan probes. Three units available (Thing 1 96w; Thing 2 & 3 384w). Maximum 4 hours/day during business hours (10 AM–5 PM); all slots available after hours. Donated by Prof. Laurie Boyer, Prof. Leonard Guarente, and the Dept. of Biology. | iLabs |
| Varioskan Flash | Multimode plate reader for fluorometric, luminometric, and absorbance measurements in 96/384w format. Equipped with three onboard dispensers, incubator, and orbital shaker. Charged in 10-minute blocks. Donated by Prof. Jeroen Saeij. | iLabs |
| Synergy H1 plate reader | Hybrid multi-mode microplate reader (6w–384w). Supports UV-vis measurements via Take3 Trio plate module (48 × 2 µL samples; Nanodrop-equivalent). Can be signed out for use outside the BMC — sign out one week in advance. Charged in 10-minute blocks. Donated by Prof. Gene-Wei Li. | iLabs |
| Agilent 2100 BioAnalyzer | Nanofluidic sizing and quantification of DNA (25 bp–12 kb), RNA, and protein. Users must provide all reagents — BMC does not stock BioAnalyzer chips or reagents. | iLabs |
| NanoDrop ND-1000 | Full-spectrum spectrophotometer (220–750 nm) for 1 µL samples. Measures nucleic acid and protein concentration and purity. Free for core department users. Located in 68-316. | No scheduling required |
DNA/RNA sizing
| Instrument | Summary | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| BluePippin / Pippin Prep | Automated preparative gel electrophoresis for DNA size selection. BluePippin: 50 bp–50 kb; Pippin Prep: 100 bp–1.5 kb. Charged per run. Donated by the Department of Biology. | iLabs |
Sonication
| Instrument | Summary | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Covaris E220 Evolution | Focused ultrasonicator for single-tube processing (1–96 samples per batch). Processes 25 µL–10 mL sample volumes. Shears DNA, RNA, chromatin; homogenizes tissue. | (see instrument page) |
| Covaris R230 | High-throughput sonicator for 96 AFA-TUBE® TPX plates. Column sonication mode processes an entire 96-well plate 10× faster than E220. Funded by NIH grant R24OD035444 — include in publications. | (see instrument page) |
Automation
Note: All automation scripts must be written by BMC staff. Once a script has been programmed, users may run it independently as a walk-up service. Contact biomicro@mit.edu to initiate script development.
| Instrument | Summary | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Tecan EVO 150 — Johnny 5 | Liquid handler optimized for cherry picking and plate normalization. LiHa span8 (2–200 µL) + MCA96 (50/200 µL tips). 6× 15 mL tube carriers, 3 temperature-controlled + 24 non-temperature-controlled SBS carriers, UV decontamination. BL1 work only. Donated by the Department of Biology. | iLabs |
| Tecan EVO 150 — B9 | Liquid handler optimized for sample processing and assay setup. MCA96 + RoMa plate handler. 3 temperature-controlled + 24 non-temperature-controlled SBS carriers. BL1 work only. | (see instrument page) |
| Revvity Chemagic 360 | Magnetic bead-based automated nucleic acid purification. 96-well EM rod head; 12-tip 3-row dispenser array. Processes 96 tissue or cell lysates in up to 5 hours. Charged by consumables. Requires setup steps (lysate preparation before loading). Contact biomicro@mit.edu at least one month in advance — purification-specific kits take approximately one month to arrive. Donated by the MIT Stem Cell Initiative and Dr. Jacqueline A. Lees. | Contact BMC 1 month ahead |
Sequencing
| Instrument | Summary | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Illumina MiSeq i100 | Walk-up short-read sequencing. A run charge must be added to each reservation (listed as $0 in iLabs but required). Reserve for the actual run duration: 100 nt = 5 h, 300 nt = 8 h, 600 nt = 16 h. Sequencing kits stocked by BMC; available during business hours as add-on charges or via the consumable request form. All data stored on BMC servers (BMC-PUB or BMC-LAB) — Illumina BaseSpace is not directly available from the instrument. | (see iLabs equipment tab) |
Single cell / spatial (walk-up option)
| Instrument | Summary | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 10x Chromium X | Available as walk-up after training by BMC staff. Chips must be purchased through BMC. Reagents are also available through BMC. Contact biomicro@mit.edu to arrange training and initial access. | (see iLabs equipment tab) |
Policies
Training is mandatory. No use of any instrument is permitted without prior training by BMC staff. Untrained use will result in suspension of walk-up privileges for the entire laboratory.
- BMC business has priority on all walk-up equipment at all times.
- Reservations must be made at least 4 hours in advance. Late requests should be emailed to biomicro@mit.edu.
- Walk-up access is MIT only in almost all cases. Non-MIT users should contact biomicro@mit.edu.
- For the MiSeq i100: violation of the access policy results in termination of walk-up privileges for the entire laboratory, not only the individual user.
- All automation scripts must be written by BMC staff before users may run them independently.
Getting help
For general questions, training requests, or after-hours access:
- Email: biomicro@mit.edu
- Phone: 617-715-4533
- After-hours access: After-Hours Access Form (one-time sign-up)
- Walk in: 68-322, MIT campus
See also: BioMicroCenter:FAQ for definitions of walk-up vs. assisted services, core lab status, and billing.