Tissue Culture Rooms

We have two BSL-2 tissue culture facilities at Bakar Labs, in rooms 116 and 502. There are 20 CO₂ incubators (4 of which are trigas incubators for hypoxia studies - submit a ticket a few weeks in advance of your experiment if this is needed) and 11 biosafety cabinets along with a number of other useful items including swinging bucket centrifuges, microfuges, microscopes and so on. All of these are shared resources. Level 3 lab access is needed for accessing the TC rooms. Please make sure your company has a current, approved, BSL-2 BUA, before requesting access to the Tissue Culture facilities.

For more information, and to request the SOP, submit a ticket or contact support.bakarlabs@berkeley.edu.

Extra Tissue Culture Supplies

If needed, extra items needed for tissue culture use can be found under the sink in 116 and 502. These items include:

• 70% EtOH spray bottles

• Bleach

• H₂O₂ spray bottles

• Gloves (in sink drawers)

• KimWipes (in sink drawers)

Upkeep of Shared Tissue Culture Rooms

CO2 Incubators - Our incubators undergo an annual PM by external technicians, and LabOps performs quarterly cleanings (including the high-heat decon cycle). CO2 gas is medical grade and the in-line filters are replaced according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Biosafety Cabinets - BSCs undergo quarterly cleanings. Please report tips or spills through the grates so LabOps can recover the items and keep these resources clean.

Waterbaths & drybaths - LabOps adds quaternary ammonia to the water baths to discourage microbial growth. Beads in the dry baths are replaced regularly and cleaned.

Disinfectants - 70% Ethanol, bleach, and peroxide spray are prepared or purchased fresh. We do not "top-off" cleansers, as it could reduce efficacy over time.

Room Cleaning - The nighttime janitorial staff perform weekly wet mopping and dry mopping of the floors, using fresh lab-grade cleaners and disposable single-use mop heads. The LabOps team performs a quarterly deep-clean of these rooms, which includes a dusting and wipe-down of all surfaces, including underneath and above equipment/furniture.

Sterile Water Supply - LabOps supplies sterilized distilled water for refilling water pans. We validate our autoclave performance monthly, and have validated our sterile water process using biological indicators (fungal spores). 

Air Quality - Our HVAC filters are replaced regularly. LabOps has stand-alone air filters in each room.

Lab Coats - LabOps replaces all lab coats every two weeks in the rooms. Researchers should obtain fresh lab coats when this is announced over Slack.

Anti-fungal application - Researchers may decide to add antifungals (such as AquaClear) to incubator water pans. If you decide to do so, please only apply the manufacturer-recommended dose (water pans hold 1.5 L of water). Then fill out the sign on the front of the incubator to let others know of the presence of these compounds.

Water pans - LabOps replaces water pans in un-occupied incubators weekly. Water pans are stainless steel by default, but submit a ticket if you would like a copper pan in your incubator.

Expectations of Researchers

Full details of conduct can be found in the SOP that users sign for access. The following points serve as reminders for the partnership that LabOps needs from researchers in maintaining a clean space for all.

Weekly Water Pan Replacement – When a researcher occupies an incubator, they are responsible to change the water at least weekly. Using KimWipes, apply hydrogen peroxide to the surface of the pan, let it sit for 10 minutes, then wipe it down with 70% ethanol until dry. Refill the pan with the entire bottle of sterile water. Please fill out the log on the front of the incubator. Incubators with frequent ins-and-outs or multiple users should have their water pans replaced 2-3x per week.

Full PPE Required – Per your company BUA, researchers in the TC rooms should be wearing lab coats, nitrile gloves, and safety glasses whenever interacting with cultures or potentially biohazardous areas. Nitrile gloves should never be reused and should also be replaced frequently. LabOps provides safety glasses in the TC rooms (please keep and re-use them).

Report Spills – Please let LabOps know when you have spills in incubators and biosafety cabinets. Let us know when you lose tips or other items through the BSC vents.

No cardboard or Styrofoam – Do not bring in corrugated cardboard or Styrofoam into the TC rooms. Open boxes elsewhere in the building.

Aseptic Technique Training – Hold your research teams to high and consistent standards with regards to aseptic technique and share best practices for working successfully in biosafety cabinets and culture spaces. The UC Berkeley Cell Culture Facility offers tailored training for novice and experienced researchers.

Contamination Log - Please fill out this form whenever you discover a contamination incident in the TC rooms.