MIT Adopts Agilent Technologies' Bioanalyzer to Enhance BioEngineering Laboratory Course

Bioengineering is one of the fastest growing programs at MIT. Undergraduate students are using the Agilent bioanalyzer to learn a wide array of techniques for cellular and molecular biology. Topics include stem cell culture, DNA engineering and cloning, flow cytometry, phage display, and mammalian cell imaging and characterization. The bioanalyzer uses miniaturized lab-on-a-chip technology to replace traditional slab gel electrophoresis techniques, greatly speeding up the process, improving consistency of results and reducing use of hazardous chemicals associated with DNA analysis.

We've been absolutely thrilled to have the bioanalyzer in the biological engineering department's teaching laboratory at MIT, said Nathan Tedford, instructor and research scientist at MIT. Having this instrument has given the students added flexibility in their experiments, and they have been excited to see a hands-on example of a cutting-edge technology that they learn about in the classroom. The instrument has worked exceptionally well in transitioning portions of our existing lab modules, and we look forward to utilizing its added capabilities in our future lab curriculum development.

With the bioanalyzer in the lab, students have more freedom and time to run their analyses. The course provides students with more flexibility to design experiments, look at more interesting conditions, and have more time to review data and deliberate on the results.

Last year, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Dolan DNA Learning Center adopted the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer to teach high school students and teachers how to analyze DNA.