Required skills
We have some important documents for you to read, and videos of proper lab techniques for you to watch.
"Must Reads"
To gain a better understanding of the MPI, our lab, and our research, it is important to read relevant publications, guidelines, regulations, work protocols, and of course, this lab manual. Your direct supervisor will provide you with relevant publications and other background information necessary to understand the basis of your project. The following is a list of ‘must-read’ documents that discuss our guidelines, regulations, and general protocols.
Maxintra contains a wealth of useful information about our facilities, services, support, working groups, and much more. It is very useful to browse and scan through all available information to understand the scope of what and how things are done, view the agenda, and book meeting rooms in the calendar. It is also the place where you can arrange support from TG and find forms for, for instance, travel reimbursement. And guess what; you are already here!
"For the Max Planck Society responsible and compliant behavior is a key basic requirement. It is essential for all employees – both in science and in the science support area – to observe the laws and internal regulation." "We all contribute to excellent science through our responsible behavior and thereby help build the global reputation of the Max Planck Society. In order to make sure that this remains the case, the information here should serve as a guide." From the foreword of 'Leitplancken - Guidelines for responsible conduct'
Of course...
The BSO (BioSafety Officer) of the Radboud campus, responsible for compliance with the Dutch GMO law, has established general work protocols and approved the adaptations made for our lab. As with statutory regulations, all individuals working at Radboud University and Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre must observe the work protocols. The MPI is part of the Radboud environment permit, and this obliges us to follow the Radboud rules and regulations regarding GMO law. These general work protocols, specified for our ML-I and ML-II labs, must be read and understood as part of the lab introduction program and before being able to work in the lab independently.
The documents are available on the network: P:\shared_spaces\WetLab\1. General lab protocol and SOP's
The basis of proper lab techniques
Using proper techniques is crucial in your experiments; both for your personal safety as for acquiring correct and reproducible results.
Here is a list of video's from Abcam that explains aseptic technique and has several protocol videos containing useful information on proper techniques.
It is crucial to understand how Biosafety cabinets work to protect yourself and your experiment.
In the fume hood, you can work safely with chemicals, but it only protects you, not the interior from contamination.
Pipetting is a crucial aspect of your experiments, and it is important to educate yourself on proper pipetting techniques to obtain consistent results. You can watch these tutorials to (re)educate yourself. We use the Rainin LTS (LiteTouch System) pipettes for all variations, including monochannel, multichannel, and automatic pipettes. These pipettes are lightweight and easy to use, Take some time to learn how the Rainin LTS system works.
Before starting a centrifuge, it is essential to load it correctly to prevent potential damage to the instrument and ensure safe operation. Running an unbalanced centrifuge can cause significant damage and injuries. It is important to balance the total mass of each opposing tube as closely as possible, especially at very high rotor speeds. Balancing masses to the nearest 0.1 gram is advisable, and it is important to balance tubes by mass, not volume. Please have a look at this basic training on working with centrifuges.