Hands-On Class: Cloning DNA To Make Mutant Microbes!

Are you excited about programming cells, but aren't quite sure how to get started doing it in the lab? Are you familiar with the basics of biology lab work, but want to brush up on your practical skills? Do you want to make cells glow on-demand? This is the class for you!

Counter Culture Labs is offering this new class that covers the hands-on, practical skills you need to extract, edit, and express DNA in microbes. For this class, we'll use genes that express bright colors as our use case.

You'll learn:

• How to extract DNA from a bacterial strain
• How to crop and purify DNA, so you keep only the genes you want
• How to insert a new gene into a strand of DNA and express it in an organism

This class is in-person and available to CCL members only. Masks are required while inside of CCL. If you're not yet a member, this is a great time to sign up, which you can do here: https://www.counterculturelabs.org/join.html

Schedule:
10:00 - Welcome and Introduction
10:30 - Miniprep to get DNA out of initial vectors (30 min)
11:00 - Digest DNA (1hr)
12:00 - Start Purification Gel (20 min)
12:20 - Lunch Break While Gel Runs (1hr)
1:30 - Ligate DNA (1hr)
2:30 - Transform DNA into New Cells (1.5hr)
4:00 - Appreciate New Mutant Life We Made, Then Head Home

Drop In / Drop Out Is Okay:
This is a long class, so feel free to come to just the parts that you can make, or just the parts that interest you. Engineering biology takes time, but we don't want to let that stop you from learning!

Required Experience:

• A basic familiarity with biological concepts, like genes and DNA
• No labwork experience required

What You'll Need:

• All materials are provided. Just bring yourself and a mask!

Your Instructors:
Instruction will be provided by CCL President, Jessica McGrath. Jessica has a Masters in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin and +20 years of wet lab experience doing molecular biology.
Class assistance will be provided by CCL Member, Tim Dobbs. Tim has a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and +10 years of experience in the biotech industry.

This class will be 6 hours total, with several breaks, including a 1-hour break for lunch. All CCL COVID-safety protocols will be observed, including symptom attestation, temperature check, and mandatory masking. At this time CCL requires full vaccination against COVID-19 to enter the space.