REGULATIONS FOR THE USE OF REAL-TIME AND DROPLET DIGITAL PCR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY
SERVICE MANAGERS: Dr. Caterina Millino and Dr. Beniamina Pacchioni
Lab No. 89 VI EAST, internal No. 6219
GENERAL RULES
1. The Real-Time and Digital PCR Service of the Department of Biology includes three instruments for real-time PCR (7500 Real Time PCR System, CFX96 Real Time System, and CFX384 Real Time System) and one instrument for droplet digital PCR (QX200 Droplet generator and reader). All instruments are located in room No. 89 on the 6th floor EAST (GEOTEC 00480 07 016).
2. These instruments are made available to all Departments affiliated with the Vallisneri Complex, subject to reservation. A Personal Reservation Folder for the instruments is available on the Department of Biology's service booking website (http://service.dipartimento.biologia.it/gestione_dipartimento/). Only users with adequate credit for instrument use (amount to cover the number of booked runs) are authorized to make reservations.
3. The days of use are from Monday to Friday, with time slots defined as follows: 9:00-12:00; 12:00-15:00; 15:00-18:00, and 18:00-23:00. The last booking slot (18:00-23:00) on Friday will not be available to allow for the shutdown of the instruments during the weekend. The cost of each reservation is deducted, even if the instrument is not used, unless the person responsible for the reservation cancels it within one hour before the start of the booked slot.
4. All scheduled maintenance interventions for the instruments will be communicated to the various users and will take precedence over existing reservations.
5. Extraordinary maintenance interventions will be communicated to the Scientific Managers of reference when possible, but in any case, will take precedence over existing reservations.
6. The costs related to the operation and ordinary and extraordinary maintenance will be recovered from the cost of instrument use by users. For full coverage of any extraordinary maintenance interventions, in relation to the potential cost and the budget recovered from the use of the instruments, a contribution may be requested from the various Research Group Managers, based on the percentage of use. The recovery of funds will be carried out by the Administration of the Department of Biology through the issuance of internal debit notes to the Scientific Managers who use the service. The Administration of the Department of Biology will provide an annual report on the management of real-time and droplet digital PCR.
USAGE MODALITIES:
7. The use of real-time PCR instruments is allowed only to operators who possess the specific training certificate (attached) for each machine and with pre-sealed plates. Training is conducted by one of the real-time PCR service managers (Dr. Caterina Millino and Dr. Beniamina Pacchioni) and certified by the Service Manager in charge (Dr. Caterina Millino). Any untrained operator must notify one of the Service Managers to schedule training. The Service Managers, depending on the users, may periodically schedule specific training courses.
8. It is possible to book the instrument a maximum of 3 working days before use.
9. During university and departmental closures, the service will remain closed, and it will not be possible to access the equipment.
10. The responsibility for the equipment during the session falls on the person who made the reservation.
11. Every operator is obliged to report any malfunction of the machine or any operational problem they may encounter before, during, or after use to one of the Service Managers.
12. It is forbidden for any operator to intervene directly on the machine except for normal usage procedures or on the electrical system connected to it.
13. Before leaving the real-time PCR instrumentation, each operator must ensure that the set PCR cycle has started and must turn off the centrifuge used to spin the plates.
14. After use, each operator must remove the run plate from the instrument and save their results on a personal USB drive that has been previously scanned with updated antivirus software. Any data loss
caused by computer failures will not be attributable to the service. For this reason, each operator must ensure they have backup copies of their data. At the end of each run, the instrument must be turned off.
15. The facility area must be left tidy.
16. The use of personal protective equipment on computers controlling the 7500 Real Time PCR System and the Droplet Reader is prohibited to avoid biological contamination of the area.
17. The use of equipment for droplet generation for droplet digital PCR is permitted only to the service managers Dr. Caterina Millino and Dr. Beniamina Pacchioni.
18. Loading the Droplet reader for result reading (quantification of the number of positive droplets) is allowed only to operators with a training certificate (attached) and is subject to the same rules as the real-time PCR instrumentation, see points 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.
19. The PCR reaction following droplet generation can be performed in any thermal cycler. Each user can set up their PCR cycle on personal thermal cyclers.
20. The results of the droplet digital PCR run analysis can be analyzed on personal computers equipped with Windows operating system.
GUIDELINES TO USE REAL TIME AND DIGITAL DROPLET PCR INSTRUMENTS OF THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
CONTACT: Dott.ssa Caterina Millino e Dott.ssa Beniamina Pacchioni lab n°89 VI EST
telephone n° 6219
1. Only properly trained operators can use real time pcr and droplet reader instruments. Trainig is carried out by real time pcr managers. Untrained operators must notify the managers to plan the training.
2. Reserve the instrumentation usage on the web application of the dept. Of biology services (http://service.dipartimento.biologia.it/gestione_dipartimento/).
3. If you do not utilize your reservation you are allowed to cancel it until one hour before youor slot. If you failed to do so you will be charged even if you did not use the machine.
4. After use, remove run plates and recover your data.
5. Switch off the instrument after the usage and leave clean the bench.
6. Droplet generator and will be used only by techniscians responsible of the service .