General information
The Instruments of the HiTS@UniPD Facility are available to either internal users or external users.
“Internal users” include those affiliated with the Department of Biology (DeBio) and all other Departments
of the University of Padua (UniPD). “External Users” refers to those affiliated with other Academia, nonprofit
organizations and Industry.
1.Opening hours
From Monday to Friday: 09:00am to 5:00pm.
Instruments and analysis stations can be used 24 hours/day, 5 days/week, upon booking (and agreement
with the Facility staff).
After 5pm, access is allowed only to experienced users and anyway in compliance with the rules listed in
Users Guideline document, point 6-7.
2.Booking procedures
For organization and traceability reasons, all sessions must be booked through the following website:
http://service.biologia.unipd.it/gestione_dipartimento/login
It will be compulsory to indicate in the booking system: the name of the PI/Lab, the user
Name, a reference phone number and e-mail address.
- Instruments can be booked up to 14 days in advance. Eventual priority sessions will be established
in case of need (for example for Genome-Wide Screenings).
- Bookings can be made up to 3 hours in advance. For "last minute" reservations, users are
requested to contact the facility staff.

3.Rates
The rates can be found here.
4.HiTS@UniPD Core Facility Staff
Technical Reference:
Dr Federico Caicci, Dr Giuseppina Covello and Sig.ra Sara Schiavon.
Imaging Facility, Department of Biology; Laboratory: level minus one, Office: 1st floor South.
Scientific Reference:
Prof Marta Giacomello and Prof. Luca Scorrano Department of Biology, 6th floor South.
In case of system failure, contact the HiTS@UniPD Facility Staff immediately; in the absence of the
reference people, the user must send an e-mail to: hits.biologia@unipd.it for Automated High-Throughput
Screening Service with details on the error.
5.Facility Policies
Acknowledgements: In each publication, we request to acknowledge the HiTS@UniPD Facility in the
materials and methods section, as follows: "High Content Imaging (or sample preparation,
depending on the type of experiment/instrument used) was performed at the HiTS@uniPD
Facility, Department of Biology, University of Padua" and/or in the acknowledgment session,
referring to the staff of the facility, if applicable. Indeed, acknowledgements help us to
demonstrate our contribution to the research. Please inform us when publications are accepted and
send us a copy for our records. We may also cite your research papers on our website.
6.Users Information
The use of the equipment available in the HiTS@UniPD facility must comply with the guidelines set out here.
- The slots from 09:00 to 17:00 can be booked every day during the opening hours and the staff is
available to help you.
- Only people with appropriate training are allowed to use the machines independently. Training
courses can be arranged with the HiTS@UniPD Facility Staff, and the users must fill this form.
- Contact the facility staff by e-mail for reservations on a Saturday or Sunday or evening times (after
closing hours) only if attempted a training course.
- Damage occurring to instruments during a booked session is the responsibility of the user and of
the respective research group, if it depends on the single user operational flaws.
The application guide and Operation manuals are available online.
7.User Rules
The user rules can be found here:
- Reservations must be cancelled 24 hours before use, otherwise costs will be charged.
- In the event of ordinary or extraordinary maintenance, the latter will override any possible booking
(users will not be charged in this case). Booked users will be notified with reasonable notice.
- Contact the facility staff for multiple slots, or reservations on Saturday/Sunday, late evening or
overnight.

- Please start your session on time.
- Use of the instruments you is conditional upon booking them here
- Use of certain facility instruments (Operetta) is restricted to trained personnel
- You are not allowed to modify any instrument setting
Before your session:
- Always check the system. If anything is damaged or dirty, contact the Facility staff.
- Remove gloves off before touching the computer and keyboard/mouse.
- Log in using the ID and Password of your PI’s account (when this information is requested). You must
not log in using someone else’s ID. Make sure that the previous user has properly logged out.
- It is the responsibility of each user to ensure that all required protocols are already configured in the
system and loaded correctly before using them.
- If you need to change an instrument setting, please contact the facility staff immediately.
After your session:
- Log out of your workstation session
- Clean the bench area and the room.
- If you finish 30 minutes before the end of the slot, please notify the next user or the facility staff.
- If your session is the last of the day, switch off the system/instruments.
- If any instrument appears damaged, or if the software reports an error message, contact the facility
staff immediately.
Last user of the day
- If you are the last user of the day and need to cancel your reservation, inform the previous user or
send an email to the facility staff.
- After 5 pm and during weekends, each user must verify the booking log of the system and, if they
are the last user of the day, they must switch off the instrument.
Additional Operetta-specific information
- Optical path and instrument components cleaning will be carried out by the facility staff. If a solution
(of any kind) is spilled into the instrument, you must immediately contact the HiTS@UniPD
facility staff. Do not immerse objective in any water/oil. Clean objectives only with the dedicated lens
tissues, please contact the facility staff immediately (Ref. point 6).
- If you are the last user of the day, after your session switch off the lamp and log out of the system.
Switch off the instrument as the last step.
- Check that the Operetta is undamaged before you start and after you finish your session; if you notice
any damage, please contact the facility staff immediately (Ref. point 6).
- The user must confirm that the Operetta lamp is switched off at the end of the Overnight (ON) working
session.
- Users are responsible for their own Data storage and backup. Download and archive them after each
working session or within 15 days from acquisition.
- It is forbidden to save your data on the desktop: files that are left on the desktop can be deleted
without any warning.
- Check that your flash memory, pen drive or external hard drive are virus free before connecting it to
the facility PC.
Data and images can be analysed using the Harmony and Columbus software, which are available on
the analysis workstations located in the analysis room (floor -1, South wing). The HiTS facility
computers are not available for internet browsing.
What happens if you do not observe these rules?
If you break any of the rules above:
1st breach: you will receive a warning and a reminder of the rules and we will inform the facility manager
as well as of your PI of the problem.
2nd breach: you will receive a second warning and we will inform your PI of the problem.
3rd breach: you will be banned from using any of the instruments for 3 weeks. No exceptions.
If you persevere: you will never use the instruments alone
Please read the SOP for each instrument before starting to work.