Starting a Nonprofit Biotech Laboratory in Richmond, Virginia

[Elliot Roth]

Hey everyone! I feel like I'm late to the party - I'm an undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University and I'm in the midst of starting a community science space called Indie Lab RVA in Richmond, VA.

An article about us.

We currently have a small area housed in our local makerspace but we're looking to expand. My team has been looking into what is required to become a lab (materials, certifications, insurance, etc.) and I wanted to ask the DIYbio community what steps you took to start your own biotech space.

We're currently hosting small workshops to bootstrap and raise money before we rent our own space. Any recommendations on small DIY experiments? What chemicals/materials are essential?

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. You can email us at indie...@gmail.com. Thanks!

[Mega [Andreas Stuermer]]

Nice. The experiment that interested me the most was just E coli  plus pVIB (or some GFP plasmid) from California.  Especially if you are in US... S1 unregulated. The workshop will take you two days then though.  Cost - pVIB 10$, Coli free from university hopefully. 

For non-GM products you could breed glowing fungi on wood. It is pretty easy. 

[Josiah Zayner]

Classes are a great way to raise money. I help run some classes at Biocurious out here in the Bay Area.
One class that has been working well and is great for beginners is The ILIAD project: http://www.the-odin.com/the-iliad-project-kit-find-new-antibiotics-at-home/
Having a significant source of income before you start renting your own place is key to success.

Hope everything works out.

[Yuriy Fazylov]

You got a lot of perfboards in your lab?

[SC]

When I bought my first house, I bought a larger one than I needed and rented out part of it.  Would it be possible for you to rent a larger space than you need and sublet part of it to a startup? 

You guys have a great idea, and it would be useful if you had a steady stream of income so you don't have to worry about money so much in the future.  Also, this area has a lot of startups that might be interested.

Very best of luck to you.

[Elliot Roth]

Not particularly, why? We can make some though - we're housed in our local makerspace currently hack.RVA

[Elliot Roth]

We're doing a couple of workshops. Our first is an electroplating workshop to decorate ornaments and then an adult DNA extraction using bicardi for New Year's. What's the average price for a hands-on science workshop? We're having some trouble figuring out what to ask for.

[Elliot Roth]

What kind of equipment is needed for that (i.e. PCR, incubator...)? Do you have the protocols?

[Elliot Roth]

We're currently looking for a warehouse space so we can do just that. The main difficulty is in forging partnerships when we aren't on anybody's radar yet. Got any advice for location scouting? What about rental agreements? Do we need to make a special agreement if we're having a DIY science lab?

[Mega [Andreas Stuermer]]

There's that detailed video from bisquitpiggy (hope I wrote the name correctly) "pGlo transformation" or "how to do a pGlo transformation". Am on my phome right now, can look up the link in case you don't find it.

[Mega [Andreas Stuermer]]

Equipment... I grew them at room temp. So you surely din't need an incubator.

Eppendorf tubes 1.5mL
micropipettor 100 uL 10 uL
LB broth
LB Amp plates
coli
Dna
calcium chloride solution
autoclave aka pressure cooker
Dremelfuge

[Mega [Andreas Stuermer]]

Thre video is on youtube, forgot to mention

[Yuriy Fazylov]

Perfboards, dry erase boards serve function. I like function. Show and tell places don't have much to show or tell past initial introduction.

Why don't you lisense procedures from places like edvotek? They have DNA/Protein extraction kits, hands on forensics kits.

Offer to host lessons for local high schools/college bio/biotec clubs. Those clubs promise a lot but internally don't do much to deliver. Your org would be filling a niche for experience while building a member base.

[SC]

Eliot,

 

Talk to a realtor that specializes in commercial space rentals.  They can quickly sort through budget considerations, zoning, insurance issues, etc.  and may also know other clients that would be willing to sublet from you.  (Or you may want to sublet from someone else to start.)  Remember you don't necessarily need to share with another bio company - lots of other comnpanies need benches and sinks.  I shared my first space with an artists's group.  We viewed each other with a friendly suspicion.  :)

 

Stacy