Week 2: Introduction to Laboratory Practices & Equipment

During this week we will review this topics and execute hands on lab work

Laboratory Safety & Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)

  • Basic lab safety rules and PPE usage
  • Sterile techniques and contamination prevention
  • Waste disposal and biosafety levels

Introduction to Essential Laboratory Equipment

  • Pipetting techniques (micropipettes, serological pipettes)
  • Centrifuges and ultracentrifugation principles
  • Spectrophotometers and nanodrop usage for nucleic acid quantification
  • pH meters and buffer preparation

Molecular Biology Techniques for mRNA Work

  • Nucleic acid extraction (RNA/DNA purification techniques)
  • Gel electrophoresis for RNA/DNA analysis
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) basics
  • Reverse transcription for mRNA synthesis

Cell Culture & Transfection Methods

  • Aseptic techniques and handling of mammalian cell culture
  • Media preparation and cell viability assays
  • Transfection techniques (lipid nanoparticles, electroporation)
  • Cryopreservation and thawing of cells

Protein and Nucleic Acid Analysis

  • Western blotting for protein detection
  • ELISA for antigen-antibody interactions
  • High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for mRNA purity analysis
  • Mass spectrometry basics for protein identification

Introduction to Bioprocessing & mRNA Production

  • In vitro transcription (IVT) for mRNA synthesis
  • mRNA purification methods
  • Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation for mRNA delivery
  • Quality control in mRNA production