Biosciences Entrepreneurial Lab
The Biosciences Entrepreneurial Lab is a wet lab incubator space at the Βι¶ΉΣ³». Its creation was inspired by the cost prohibitive nature of startups in the biosciences and to accelerate the growth and success of bioscience entrepreneurship in Northern Βι¶ΉΣ³». The Biosciences Entrepreneurial Laboratory facilitates innovation by bringing together innovators and entrepreneurs and providing services and resources that leverage existing campus expertise and support.
Northern Βι¶ΉΣ³» continues to experience rapid growth in the tech industry, including the emergence of local biotechnology entrepreneurship. The University plays a pivotal role in this growth by training highly-skilled laboratory personnel, collaborating with regional companies, and encouraging innovative technological advancements through fundamental research. The University also hosts several molecular biosciences core facilities, including the following core labs:
- Animal Resources
- Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting / Flow Cytometry Shared Resource Laboratory
- High-Performance Computing
- Mick Hitchcock, Ph.D. Βι¶ΉΣ³» Proteomics Center
- Βι¶ΉΣ³» Bioinformatics Center
- Βι¶ΉΣ³» Genomics Center
Space and equipment
The Biosciences Entrepreneurial Lab occupies more than 2,200 sq. ft. of renovated laboratory space in the Applied Research Facility. It is a fully furnished, turnkey wet lab space housing necessary equipment and infrastructure for multiple operations with minimal sharing. Chemical and biological waste services are included. Shared equipment currently includes the use of chemical fume hoods (certified), a clean bench (certified), a biosafety cabinet (certified), baking/drying oven, various microbiological incubators, autoclave, freezers, coolers, ice machine, DI water, ultrapure water, chemical storage, and bench-top equipment.
The Biosciences Entrepreneurial Laboratory is managed exclusively by the Βι¶ΉΣ³» Center for Applied Research. A facility use or fee-for-service agreement can provide access to labs, independent benches, specialized equipment, supportive office space, or analytical services. Tenants will make arrangements with the Βι¶ΉΣ³» Center for Applied Research prior to obtaining access for training and safety purposes. Training on advanced instrumentation will be spearheaded by University personnel, with the objective that tenants will assist their co-workers with general training and guidance. This will promote a collaborative, supportive atmosphere that nurtures idea sharing within the Biosciences Entrepreneurial Laboratory and the University as a whole.
Bioscience Entrepreneurial Lab equipment list
- Yamato SM300 portable autoclave (2)
- Keyence VHX-900F digital microscope
- Revco -86C ultralow chest freezer (2)
- Reach in cooler (4C) (2)
- Frigidaire manual defrost -20C freezer (2)
- Eppendorf refrigerated 5418R microcentrifuge
- Beckman J2-21 centrifuge
- Vortex mixer - 1 per bench
- Rainin pipet set (P20, P200, P1000) - one set per bench
- Labnet Biopette Plus (0.1-2μl) (2)
- Eppendorf 5804R refrigerated centrifuge (fixed angle and swinging bucket rotors)
- Water bath (2)
- Isotemp gravity convection incubator (100L)
- Isotemp heating/drying oven (100L)
- NanoDrop One spectrophotometer (with cuvette option)
- ThermoBarnstead E-Pure 4module ultrapure water system
- Elga PURELAB Flex 2 UV/TOC ultrapure water system
- Agilent 1100 HPLC system
- Spectrum Labs Spectra/Chrom CF-1 fraction collector
- Ohaus AX223 Adventurer analytical precision balance (2)
- Mettler Toledo FiveEasy Plus FEP20 pH meter (2)
- Fisherbrand dual frequency ultrasonic water bath
- Stirring hotplate (2)
- Corning LSE benchtop shaking incubator (2)
- Thermo Scientific Heraguard ECO clean bench (4ft) (Certified)
- Thermo Scientific 1345 Series A2 Class II Bio Safety Cabinet (Certified)
- Buchi R300E rotovap with vacuum pump
- Thermo Scientific Thermolyne benchtop muffle furnace
- Bio-Rad T100 Thermal Cycler (2)
- MJ Research PTC-200 gradient thermal cycler
- Bio-Rad Mini Trans-Blot cell
- Bio-Rad Mini-PROTEAN Tetra Cell (4 gel)
- Bio-Rad PowerPac HC power supply
- Bio-Rad Mini-Sub cell GT horizontal electrophoresis system
- GeneMate H06000V hybridization oven
- Invitrogen Qubit 4 Fluorometer
- Invitrogen Countess 3 Automated Cell Counter
- Molecular Devices SpectraMax iD3 Multi-Mode Microplate Reader
- Thermo Scientific Evolution 260 Bio UV-Visible Spectrophotometer
- UVP ChemStudio PLUS Touch Imaging System
User access
Tenants can lease as much or as little space as needed and have access to all shared equipment in the center. Occupancy terms are extremely flexible and do not involve a long-term lease commitment. Access is in the form of monthly shared membership or dedicated independent lab benches.
Benefits
The benefits of a well-equipped (and staffed) bioscience incubator on local economies are well established. Northern Βι¶ΉΣ³» now has the opportunity to develop biotechnology as a significant contributor to its increasingly diversified economy. The Biosciences Entrepreneurial Laboratory provides critical biosciences infrastructure in the region, significantly reducing prohibitive costs for biotechnology startups. The Biosciences Entrepreneurial Laboratory leverages existing core facility expertise by providing additional equipment, services, and collaborative opportunities for companies to develop and prosper.
The Biosciences Entrepreneurial Laboratory serves as a gateway for tenants and contracting companies to access broader expertise in the campus community, ranging from grant/funding proposal preparation to technology transfer.
Student interns will have opportunities to interact with businesses, significantly improving education and training in fields ranging from biotechnology to bioinformatics, business administration, and marketing while also providing a competitive advantage for recent graduates entering the job market.