Facilities

Procelltech Laboratories include six non-classified areas (according to ISO-14644) for 240 mq. Procelltech laboratories are:

• Microbiology
• Cellular Biology
• Molecular Biology (4 laboratories): buffer room, negative room, positive room and post-PCR room with an independent air treatment unit (UTA)
• Reception and Archive
• Biobanking (liquid N2 tanks and -20°C and -80°C freezers)

The enviromental parameters of the entire facility, refrigerators and freezers temperature and CO2 levels of incubators are lively monitored by the wiresless system “Splylog©” (CFR21. 11). In case of failure or malfunction, an alarm system automatically generates messages addressed to the maintenance service of BiPCa (active 24/24h).

Below a schematic description of the laboratories. For a virtual tour, please click on the below images.

• Microbiology

  The microbiology laboratory is organized to perform standard microbiology assays as seeding, culture and identification of microrganisms with Gram+/- staining and API© galleries. Gram+/- staining is performed with the automatic system Previcolor®, Biomerieux. This system allows to rapidly stain slides without direct use of toxic dyes. In the microbiology laboratory is installed Bactalert 3D©, Biomerieux, a system for rapid detection of sterility (only 7 days) in compliance to 21 CFR 610.12 and European Pharmacopoeia (EP 6.0., 2.6.1.). This system allows to detect CO2 produced by living microrganisms in 24-48h. In the microbiology laboratory is also performed the cromogenic kinetic LAL test (EP 6.0., 2.6.14).

• Cellular Biology

  In the cellular biology laboratory there are bio-hazerd hoods, centrifuges, CO2 incubators and heating baths to perform cell cultures of primary cells and cell lines. In this laboratory functional assays are performed (e.g. ELISA, proliferation, immunocytochemistry, cell cycle analysis). In the laboratory two cytometers are installed, a FACS Calibur® 2 lasers-4 colors and a FACS Canto II® 3 lasers-8 colors. This instruments are used to perform immunophenotyping and identity assays (EP 6.0., 2.7.24). Moreover, in this laboratory the cytogenetic platform Genikon® for karyotyping analysis (EP 6.0., 5.2.4.) has been set-up.

• Molecular Biology

  The Laboratory of Molecular Biology is designed to perform the assay for detection of mycoplasma contamination (EP 6.0., 2.6.7.) with q-PCR. The workflow is organized to reduce contaminations. The operator performs the assay starting from a buffer-room, where all the buffer solutions are prepared in plate, than the operator goes in the negative-room, where the negative control is plated, sub-sequentially the operator set in plate the positive control in the positive-room. Finally, plate and operator move to the post-pcr room where the amplification reaction is performed by q-PCR (7900 HT FAST, Applied Biosystems). In Post-PCR room gene expression analyses and identity assays like DNA Sequencing and DNA Profiling (EP 6.0., 2.6.21) are also performed by using the genetic analyzer ABI 310 (Applied Biosystems).