Oral Presentation Australasian Cytometry Society 43rd Annual Conference and Workshop

Shared Resource Laboratory Biosafety (#212)

EVAN JELLISON 1 , Avril Aspland 2
  1. UCONN School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, United States
  2. Advacned Cytometry Facility , USYD, Sydney

In this session, instructors will introduce users to advanced applications of high-dimensional analysis, including aligning data across batches, and a preview of how to integrate data with single-cell reference Shared Resource Laboratories (SRLs) are a critical component of today’s research institutions. They provide not only access to high-end technology but also the expertise needed to utilise this technology appropriately. These spaces are visited by a wide range of individuals from a wide geographical area and bring an even more diverse range of sample types. Staff and managers of these spaces make operational decisions to ensure that the instrumentation remains functional for researchers and that the facility continues to run efficiently and safely for all who utilise it. In Cytometry, samples that are most often biological in nature are handled, creating a risk that infectious pathogens are present. This potential risk, combined with the generation of aerosols by many instruments, means that biological safety assessments are critical in SRL day-to-day operational processes. Introducing these biological safety assessments goes beyond creating a document. The outcome of these may result in flow-on changes in practices and introduce the need for communication strategies to support this. Risk assessments are often centred on local infrastructure and your own institution’s approach to risk, but the development of a culture of safety should ultimately be everyone’s targeted goal. As a registrant for this workshop, you will be presented with a survey, which will help guide the focus of this workshop.