ORBIT Facility - iPSCs
The iPSC Facility is a controlled sterile environment dedicated exclusively to the reprogramming, maintenance, expansion and differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their derivatives.
The facility is equipped with biological safety cabinets, incubators with controlled oxygen and carbon dioxide atmosphere, fluorescence microscopy system, centrifuge, water bath and dedicated refrigerator for reagents and media. Due to the high sensitivity of pluripotent stem cells to contamination and environmental changes, strict aseptic procedures and facility-specific regulations must be followed at all times.
Before using the instruments for the first time, contact the trainers below for mandatory training.
Users are expected to perform experiments independently and must be adequately trained to ensure proper use of the instruments.
How to make reservation
Prior to use, it is mandatory to reserve instruments through the booking platform of the Department of Biomedical Sciences.
If you don’t have an account to access the booking platform, please contact our ICT service staff at ‘informatica.biomed@unipd.it’.
Coordination & Training
Service coordinator
DE MARIO AGNESE
Training & support staff
MENEGOLLO MICHELABERTIN VALERIAPISTORE MARCO
Please contact the staff at cn3.biomed@unipd.it prior to the first access.
Access is restricted to personnel directly involved in experimental activities.
Where is & How the facility works
Location
Room 02-015 (floor 1E), Vallisneri building
Opening and closing
Monday - Sunday | 24h
Hoods are identified by specific numbers that you can find also on the instruments. The reservation of the hood includes the use of an incubator, centrifuge, microscope, waterbath. Please note: -Minimum booking slot: 30 min per user per day -Maximum booking time: 4 hours per user per day. -Longer reservations require prior approval from the Facility Staff. -Late cancellations or no-shows may be charged as completed reservations. -If necessary, reservations can be cancelled no later than 24h prior to use.
For information: cn3.biomed@unipd.it
Facility equipment
Room 02-015 (floor 1E), Vallisneri building
biological hoodHOOD N° 1
No manuals available for this instrument.
Room 02-015 (floor 1E), Vallisneri building
biological hoodHOOD N° 2
No manuals available for this instrument.
Before your session
Wash hands before entering the facility.
INSIDE THE ROOM, IT IS MANDATORY TO USE A DEDICATED LAB COAT AND DISPOSABLE GLOVES. Please note: lab coats used inside the facility must not be worn outside the room!
Any equipment malfunction or damage must be immediately reported to the Facility Staff. The last user booked will be held responsible for the equipment status.
DISINFECT ALL MATERIALS WITH 70% ETHANOL BEFORE PLACING THEM INSIDE THE HOOD
Please note: All new PSC/iPSC lines and fibroblast of human or murine origin introduced into the facility must be tested NEGATIVE FOR MYCOPLASMA before use.
During your session
To maintain a contamination-free environment and ensuring the quality of pluripotent stem cell cultures, USERS MUST FOLLOW GOOD CELL CULTURE PRACTICE AT ALL TIMES.
After your session
All equipment has to be kept CLEAN and SWITCHED OFF after use. Before leaving the facility, all users MUST DISINFECT ANY SURFACE OR EQUIPMENT TOUCHED DURING THEIR WORK using 70% ethanol. Any spill must be cleaned immediately and reported when appropriate. If the leakage spreads under the inner steel surface of the hood, it must be removed and the surface below cleaned.
DO NOT leave anything in the room and inside the hoods and water bath.
Switch on UV sterilization inside the hoods for 15 minutes.
After the use of the microscope, export all acquired images. Clean the stage (objectives and plate).
Each user is responsible for the proper disposal of biological waste:
-LIQUID WASTE: Aspiration system is not available. Liquid biological waste must be collected into falcon tubes or small bottles and disposed of in designated bins.
-SOLID WASTE: Solid biological waste must be disposed of in designated containers. Waste containers must never be overfilled. Once full, or in the event of an extended period of inactivity in the room, containers must be sealed and handed over to the Safety service for proper disposal, according to the facility’s procedure.
Check if you are the last user of the day and, in this case, ensure that:
- Water bath and microscope are switched off.
- Hoods are properly closed and switched off.
- Incubator doors are fully closed.
- Lights are switched off.
Specific indication for this facility
Consumables are NOT provided by the facility; users are expected to bring their own required materials.
Eating, drinking and food storage are strictly forbidden.
MYCOPLASMA TESTING:
- Routine mycoplasma testing is mandatory and will be performed every 15 days, according to the facility's procedures. Failure to comply with testing requirements may result in suspension of facility access.
- All cell lines maintained in the facility must be registered in the facility database
- Users are responsible for the daily monitoring of their cultures.
Any contamination event must be reported immediately to the Facility Staff. In the event of bacterial, fungal or mycoplasma contamination, it is necessary to strictly follow the protocol described in the Facility guidelines. Deep cleaning and sterilization procedures may be required following contamination events.
Cell culture plates originating from other cell culture rooms are NOT allowed inside the facility. Exceptions (e.g. cell sorting, viral transduction or other specialized procedures) require prior approval from the Facility Staff.
Plates, flasks or cultures removed from the facility can not re-enter the facility.
Cultures stored in incubators must be clearly labelled with USER NAME, CELL LINE IDENTIFICATION and DATE. Current user contacts have to be specified on the incubator door.
If not used, incubators should be turned off; a sterilization cycle has to be done once restarted, prior to use.
Storage areas inside refrigerators are assigned by the facility staff. All stored materials must be labelled with USER NAME, LABORATORY NAME and DATE. Expired or abandoned materials may be removed by facility staff.
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