Biolistic Bombardment & Misc.

Biolistic Bombardment - Cell or Tissue Transformation System

PDS-1000 He System
The BioRad PDS-1000 He System was purchased and placed in the CGC in June of 2007. This instrument is capable of transforming many cells and tissues which are difficult to introduce exogenous DNA into by most other means. It works by accelerating tiny particles of gold or tungsten to very high velocities using a "burst" of Helium into a chamber held briefly at a partial vacuum. The target tissue or cells are placed in a dish beneath a rupture disk through which the burst of high-velocity DNA-coated microparticles will come.  A full explanation can be found on the manufacturers web page here.

The diagram below was copied from the BioRad web page.  There are 4 parameters to adjust to optimize the process for different cell and tissue types, the Helium pressure, the distance between the rupture disk and the target, the vacuum, and the particle size.  Protocols for various organisms can be found on the BioRad web page linked above, and by searching in the literature/software section of the BioRad web page.

Some uses, like transformation of crop plants for commercial purposes, are covered by patent licenses.  This is noted on the BioRad web page.

Supplies/Costs
Users provide their own burst membranes and nano-particles. Refer to the Bio-Rad catalog for ordering information. Users are charged $2.00 per "shot" for instrument usage.

Miscellaneous Lab Equipment

Lyophilizer
The CGC has a Virtis 6K Benctop Lyophilizer with room inside the Lucite manifold chamber for large samples and 12 Quickseal vacuum connectors where external vacuum widemouth flasks can be attached. This instrument is available on an appointment basis for $20 per day. Most samples will be dried in a day, some will take two days.

Agarose DNA gels
CGC Users can run submarine agarose gels in the lab for $5 per run plus the cost of the agarose, sold by the gram, and the running buffer, sold by the ml (50x TAE).