Cell Culture Dish Podcast

Cell Culture Dish Podcast


New Lab Set Up – Best Practices for a Successful Start

November 17, 2020

In this podcast, we spoke with Dr. Ann Rossi Bilodeau, Senior Bioprocess Applications Scientist and Dr. Catherine Siler, Field Applications Scientist both with Corning Life Sciences, who shared insightful tips for setting up a new lab. We discussed how to create a lab plan, maximize lab space, stay within budget and timelines. They also shared their experience in implementing lab safety and training as part of the new lab launch.
Show Notes
We began the podcast by talking about how setting up a new lab can feel overwhelming and what is the best place to start and first steps to take. The advice given was to start with four simple steps:

* What do I need? Take your aims and break them into experiments and then break those experiments down to steps to get a framework for the types of equipment and consumables that you will need to conduct your work.
* What do I have?
* What can I borrow or share? Are there other labs in the same building that could share equipment with you if it is something that you don’t need often?
* Who will help purchase? Are there other labs that would be willing to split the cost of equipment?

Once these questions are answered, you will have a good list of what you need to buy and whether there are any opportunities to share those costs. Other advice included taking pictures and measurements of the space. It is important to understand the space layout and amount of space to be able to plan for lab set up. Additionally, it is helpful to know your administrators, as they may have contacts with vendors or other labs that could help with the purchasing.
Next, I asked who they thought should be involved in the new lab planning and set up. They said that there would always be unexpected voices, but there are certain people who can really contribute to your success. They recommended connecting with other primary investigators at your university as they will be familiar with any quirks of the building or space. Secondly, use your vendors. They will have knowledge of the equipment or consumables you need and since they see many other labs, they may be able to provide additional advice when it comes to set up of the lab space and specifically their equipment in that space.
It is important that all personnel have some input as they understand how specific protocols are run and any associated ergonomic challenges or space requirements. It is important to designate a lab manager or primary investigator to take all opinions, weight them and make final decisions to keep things organized and on track.
We then talked about maximizing lab space. Both Cat and Ann felt that creating zones for areas of equipment was an important consideration in making the lab more efficient. Zones can be created through the lens of safety requirements, which makes it easier for technicians to comply and the process overall more efficient. It is also helpful to think about the size of the equipment, and if possible, group large pieces of equipment together, say in a common space to ensure there is enough space to navigate around the equipment. This will leave more functional lab space elsewhere and will simplify traffic patterns. Function is key, so  it is important to really consider how the lab will function.
I then asked them if they had advice on how to stay within budget when purchasing equipment. They had some great tips. Think about how much you will actually use a piece of equipment. If it isn’t very often think about borrowing or sharing with another lab. You can also look into whether your University has a core facility that you could use on a pay as you go basis.
This is another good place to use vendors as they might offer new lab bundles that can save money and time. If a piece of equipment is a workhorse in your lab , it is important to consider maybe spending a bit more and getting the best equipment for your application.