Grant applications proposing to use products designed or fabricated by Scientific Instrument Services (or with their assistance) do not require letters of support unless the methods that will be used are not included in Scientific Instrument Services’ description in the JAX Facilities and Other Resources master document (see description below). For products that are unusual or particularly complicated, please discuss with the associate director whether a letter of support would be appropriate.
Scientific Instrument Services
Scientific Instrument Services (SIS) personnel provide a variety of support services to JAX faculty and staff. The group comprises Shared Scientific Facilities and Equipment, Glassware, the Scientific Equipment Repair Service, Fabrication Service, and Automated Liquid Handling Support Service. In addition, the SIS management team coordinates with all Scientific Service cores for annual capital equipment budgeting and onboarding. Faculty recommendations for new technology and instrumentation are actively pursued to ensure that the shared equipment inventory continually meets research needs.
Shared Scientific Facilities and Glassware
All scientific personnel have access to multiple shared facilities that house JAX shared instrumentation.
Shared scientific facilities and equipment in Bar Harbor, ME:
Scientific personnel have access to 13 shared equipment rooms, six cold rooms/cold storage suites, two monitored -80ºC freezer farms, eight monitored shared liquid nitrogen storage tanks, and two dark rooms. All scientific personnel may use the shared equipment and are encouraged to contact the Scientific Equipment Repair Service if training is needed on equipment operation. The active inventory currently includes over 250 instruments, which collectively enable researchers to pursue a range of approaches for sample preparation, sample measurement, and material cold storage. Sample preparation equipment includes microcentrifuges, benchtop centrifuges, ultracentrifuges, cryostats, gel dryers, static and shaking incubators, thermal cyclers, sonication and cell disruption systems, sterilizers, and vacuum concentrators. Sample measurement equipment includes quantitative PCR instruments, multimode plate readers, spectrophotometers, a variety of imaging systems, a tube writer, a flux analyzer, and a digital droplet PCR system. Sample cold storage includes 4ºC, -20ºC, -80ºC, and liquid nitrogen space.
Glassware Service in Bar Harbor, ME:
This core provides fee-for-service cleaning and sterilization of lab glassware, utensils, and consumables. The glassware facility has two large steam sterilizers, two large washer/dryers, and several heat-only sterilizing ovens.
Shared scientific facilities and equipment in Farmington, CT:
Scientific personnel have access to multiple shared facilities that house JAX-GM’s shared instrumentation. Because of the open layout design of the research laboratories, shared instruments are found in individual laboratory bays, shared equipment bays, and dedicated shared equipment rooms. The facilities comprise four shared equipment rooms, five laboratory bays, three cold rooms, two monitored cold storage rooms, and ten monitored shared LN2 sample storage tanks. Equipment includes, but is not limited to, microcentrifuges, benchtop centrifuges, ultracentrifuges, cryostats, gel dryers, static and shaking incubators, thermal cyclers, sonication and cell disruption systems, sterilizers, vacuum concentrators, quantitative PCR instruments, plate readers, spectrophotometers, a variety of imaging systems, automated PCR prep instruments, an anaerobic chamber, plate readers, a DNA printer, DNA/RNA/miRNA extraction instruments, a lyophilizer, a gradient station, and a flux analyzer. Sample cold storage includes 4ºC, -20ºC, -80ºC, and liquid nitrogen space.
Planning for maintenance and anticipated end-of-life replacement is guided by usage trends and annual assessments of equipment performance. Faculty recommendations for new technology and instrumentation are actively pursued to ensure that the shared equipment inventory continually meets research needs.
Glassware Facility in Farmington, CT:
Users of this facility can perform self-service cleaning and sterilization of lab glassware, utensils, and consumables. The glassware facility has two large steam sterilizers and two large washer/dryers.
Scientific Equipment Repair Service
The Scientific Equipment Repair Service staff has extensive expertise in research instrumentation. The Service maintains and repairs all shared scientific equipment. Equipment downtime is kept low as a result of regular preventative maintenance schedules, repair history tracking, and lifecycle replacement planning. Faculty laboratories and Scientific Services may also have their laboratory equipment repaired through this Service. Service staff provide the research community with advice and recommendations on equipment purchases based on our instrument repair histories and technical expertise.
Fabrication Service
As the needs of investigators evolve, the ability to design and build specialty devices and custom fixtures is becoming more of a necessity to meet requirements of fast prototyping, collaborative design and development, and precision tolerances. To meet these needs, the Fabrication Service provides JAX investigators access to expertise in custom design, 3D-printing technologies, and computer numerical control (CNC) router machining. We have a number of machining tools and design capabilities that serve both Bar Harbor and Farmington campuses, including 3D printers. For state-of-the-art computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM), we use the latest Siemens NX software (formerly Unigraphics). Depending on the complexity of the design and technologies needed, Fabrication Service staff can meet in person to collaborate on ideas to develop innovative solutions to the problems faced.
Fabrication Service equipment
· ShopBot CNC router with 48" X 48" table
· Grizzly band saw
· Mill / Drill press
· 3D printers
· FDM (fused deposition modeling) with soluble supports and muti-color capabilities
· SLA (stereolithography) with standard engineering and biomedical resins
· Sheet metal benders (Facilities Maintenance Shop)
· Metal lathe
Automated Liquid Handling Support Service
Scientific Services has benefited from the inclusion of automated liquid handling platforms into their sample preparation processes and workflows. The increased reliance on these platforms to deliver quick, accurate results has made these instruments critical infrastructure, but the corresponding costs of ownership (maintenance contracts, protocol development, consumables compatibility, adaptability to new processes, etc.) have made it necessary to establish dedicated in-house technical support expertise to provide a knowledge resource for process improvements, performance validations, liquid class development, and volume calibrations. By centralizing this knowledge, this service reduces the unnecessary redundancy of multiple individuals in other JAX Scientific Services having to become experts on the technical characteristics of each liquid handling instrument.