I found that some of the longer containers that are included in the MicroClone kit, the plastic is too brittle and when you push it into the container, they crack and break, nearly all of the containers were cracked, and contaminated with fungis and had to be thrown away.
I still think that the kit, is a good starter kit, it helped me overcome the fear and uncertainty around Tissue Culture, I now know the basics and can move on to more advanced techniques if I so choose.
I was very determined to go to GenSpace Biohacker Bootcamp in Brooklyn, NY; I live in Dallas, TX and originally was going to go in January, but there was a massive snow storm at that time, that forced me to go in the summer. I made a trip of it, as it was a week long course I stayed at an AirBnB in Brooklyn and explored the city during the day, and learnt about some of the lab techniques at night. It was very enjoyable, I took several guided tours of the city, went to many famous landmarks, worked out at a gym and still had time for the course, each evening.
Dr. Mike Flanagan, was our class instructor, there was an interesting group of people, one was a highschool student interested in creating leather from Synthetic Biology, another was an entrepreneur curious about a budding field of Technology, programmers and PhD students.
I found the class to be well paced for people unfamiliar with Biology or Genetic Engineering. I have been studying Genetics, Synthetic Biology, BioChemistry online for some time, as I have no formal training, I have found EDX.org and Coursera.org to be extremely valuable in this regard. Since I have little lab experience I was very keen on coming and learning as much as I could, and I wasn’t disappointed.
We started by extracting our own DNA with a q-tip and sending it in for analysis, learning the procedure for PCR and Gel Electrophoresis. We used PCR to amplify a segment of our own DNA which was also used in the Gel Eletrophoresis experiment, the assay ran with a DNA standard as well as 5 samples, since there were 5 students in the class.
On the following day, we used restriction enzymes to splice a bacterial plasmid with a antibiotic selection marker and a fluorescent protein, the plasmid was then added to a competent bacteria and set over night in an incubator. The next day we looked at our control and experimental samples to see if we were successful, we were.
We also discussed various Synthetic Biology techniques, opportunities, IGEM, and the future of the field.
On the final day, Dr. Flanagan also discussed our ancestry, on the first day when we had extracted our DNA, some of it was also sent out to a local company for analysis. We discussed the implications as well as possibilities for DIY biohacking.
I recommend the course to anyone who is new to Synthetic Biology and found the people and environment to be very rewarding. I am glad I went.
Josh Melnick's Biology Blog 