Sorting
The cell sorting rooms E-386A and B are approved for work at Biosafety Level 1 and 2 (BSL-1 and BSL-2). All sorters are contained in Class II biosafety cabinets. All cells exposed to or infected with bacterial or viral agents or cells that contain recombinant DNA, must be approved by EH&S on a case by case basis.
Steps to begin sorting
Get Calendar Access
Fill out the New User Training Form so staff can create your calendar account. Login to your Infinity Calendar account, using the SSO button (UW users) or your email (external users). Request access to your desired instruments. See the Calendar section of the FAQ to get familiar with the calendar software.
All users need to provide a current Budget # or PO # in order to set up an account. It is the users responsibility to enter that number in the New User Form and to ensure that if the Budget # expires they provide a replacement #.
get paperwork
EH&S Biological Use Authorization (BUA)
The National Institutes of Health Office of Biotechnology Activities (NIH OBA) mandates that the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) review and approve all research that involves recombinant DNA. The UW IBC reviews and approves all research involving infectious agents.
PI's are responsible for obtaining BUA's, which apply to all members of their research groups.
Contact EH&S Research and Biological Safety Office (RBSO) via email at ehsbio@uw.edu, via UW mailbox at 357165, or via fax at 206-221-3068, to obtain a BUA. Documentation of BUA must be in place before users are permitted to sort. Each BUA includes information on cell lines and infectious agents used by each laboratory, their appropriate level of containment, and sites at which they can be used. See the EH&S website for BUA forms and more information.
Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP’s) Training
Staff safety for work involving blood and other potentially infectious materials that may contain Bloodborne pathogens (BBP’s) is mandated by the State of Washington Department of Safety and Health and enforced by the Department of Labor and Industries (WAC-296-823). All researchers and facilities at the UW must comply with these regulations. Employees who have potential for exposure to human blood or other potentially infected materials, which includes human cells and cell lines, must be enrolled in the UW BBP Program. The Program includes offering of the Hepatitis B vaccine, initial and annual training, and a written site-specific Exposure Control Plan (ECP). Complete the Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) for Researchers online course before your sorter training session.
Schedule and complete training
Cell Analysis Facility training will be provided by the CAF Manager or Staff. It will include training on operation of the cell sorter, safety requirements, training on the Biosafety Cell Sorting SOP, and on the site-specific BBP Exposure Control Plan. This training will be documented on the Cell Analysis Facility User Form. The training records will be maintained by the flow facility staff.
Sign up for sorting time, with an extra 15 minutes included at the end of the sort for decontamination and cleaning. For your first time sorting, select "Training" as the session type and schedule before 3pm. After making the reservation, fill out the form that automatically pops up requesting nozzle size and other details. If the sort is BSL-2, this must be stated in the notes section.
Cell Analysis Facility staff is available for presort consultation.
Policy Reminders:
You MUST contact CAF staff at 206-543-7006 prior to scheduling a same-day sort to ensure you can be accommodated.
If you cancel less than 24 hours in advance, you will be charged for 1 hour of set-up time.
No shows will be charged for the full amount of time they have reserved.
Please review the Manual for Standard Operation Procedures for sorting in the SLU Cell Analysis Facility.
Aria Sample Prep this document details many common questions related to sorting, please read!