LIFESCIENCE LABORATORY PROCEDURES
Specific procedures stand out in the life science laboratory compared to any other scientific laboratory. Its uniqueness lies in its ability to explore life processes in various organisms, as well as providing increased research opportunities.
What is a life science laboratory?
A life science laboratory is a facility where scientific research is conducted in relation to living organisms and their processes.
Let’s take it one after the other.
We will be analyzing a few advanced life science laboratories and some procedures carried out in them.
Some of them are:
1. Cell Biology:
It nearly explains itself as the science that studies cell structure, functions, and behaviour.
Procedures: One common procedure performed in a cell biology laboratory is protein analysis (western blotting).
Protein analysis detects the presence, size, and expression level of the protein. Western blotting consists of five major processes: protein extraction, gel electrophoresis, protein transfer (to membrane), blocking (the membrane), and finally, detection.
Some other procedures conducted in a cell biology laboratory include ELISA (Enzyme- Linked Immunosorbent Assay), Mass Spectrometry (MS), and Immunofluorescence (IF).
2. Molecular Biology:
In a molecular biology laboratory, one frequently performed practice is gel electrophoresis.
The purpose of gel electrophoresis is to separate DNA, RNA, and proteins based on their size and charge.
The steps involved in gel electrophoresis include preparing the gel (for DNA samples), loading the samples, running the gel in an electrophoresis tank, and finally, staining and visualizing it under UV light.
3. Genetics:
Genetics is the scientific study of genes, heredity, and genetic variations in living organisms.
A genetics laboratory performs important functions such as diagnosing inherited disorders and conducting prenatal and newborn screening.
One major procedure performed in the genetics laboratory is the CRISPR- Cas 9 procedure. The CRISPR- Cas 9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats- Cas 9) procedure is used in gene editing to precisely alter DNA sequences in a genome. It is useful for gene therapy and cancer research.
4. Bioinformatics:
Bioinformatics combines biology, computer science, and statistics to analyse and interpret biological data.
Some research types conducted in the bioinformatics laboratory include genomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics. Genomics involves the analysis of DNA/RNA sequences and is widely applicable in areas such as disease diagnosis and treatment, tracking infectious diseases, as well as in forensics and agriculture (building disease-resistant crops).
The lifescience laboratory runs by ensuring safe ethical practices that promote accurate results useful for downstream applications.