INSTRUMENTATIONS AND LABORATORY TECHNIQUE

(PRACTICAL)

Lecturer: Dr. Ali Ghandili

Cihan University- Erbil, College of Health Technology, Department of Medical Biochemical Analysis

Part 3: Laboratory instruments and equipment in the field of biomedical

In biomedical laboratories, various instruments and equipment are used for research, analysis,
and experimentation. These tools play an essential role in conducting experiments, analyzing
samples, and generating accurate results. Some common laboratory instruments and equipment
used in biomedical laboratories include:

1. Water Baths:

Description:

A water bath is laboratory equipment made from a container filled with heated water. It is
used to incubate samples in water at a constant temperature over a long period of time. Most
water baths have a digital or an analogue interface to allow users to set a desired temperature,
but some water baths have their temperature controlled by a current passing through a reader.

Application:

Utilizations (usages) include warming of reagents, melting of substrates or incubation of cell

cultures, and performing enzymatic reactions. It is also used to enable certain chemical
reactions to occur at high temperature. Water baths are preferred heat sources for heating
flammable chemicals, as their lack of open flame prevents ignition. Different types of water
baths are used depending on application. For all water baths, it can be used up to 99.9 °C.

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When temperature is above 100 °C, alternative methods such as oil bath, silicone bath or
sand bath may be used.

Note- Water baths are commonly used in laboratories to provide a controlled temperature
environment for various experiments, including enzymatic reactions. Enzymatic reactions
often require specific temperature conditions to optimize the activity of enzymes involved.

A water bath consists of a container filled with water that is heated or cooled to a desired
temperature. The sample or reaction mixture is placed in a suitable vessel and immersed in
the water bath to maintain a constant temperature.

Water baths are particularly useful for enzymatic reactions as enzymes have specific
temperature optima at which they exhibit maximum activity. By using a water bath, the
temperature can be precisely controlled and maintained, ensuring the reaction proceeds under
optimal conditions.

Figure-23 A typical water bath.

2. Refrigerators and Freezers:

Biomedical refrigerators are medical equipment that are used to store a variety of samples of
biological origin such as blood, derivatives of blood, biological reagents, vaccines,
medicines, flammable chemicals, ribonucleic acid (RBA), and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
These products offer optimal conditions and ensure efficient storage required for biological
samples.

- Samples such as RNA and DNA are stored in biomedical refrigerators with temperature
ranging between -70°C and -80°C and even low,

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- Vaccines, whole blood and plasma products are stored in plasma freezers with temperature
range between -30°C and -40°C,and

- Blood component products or the whole blood is stored in blood bank refrigerators.

Biomedical refrigerators are extensively used in hospitals, blood banks, diagnostic centers,
pharmacies, educational institutions, and in research laboratories.

3. Safety Cabinets:

Description:

A biosafety cabinet (BSC)—also called a biological safety cabinet or microbiological safety

cabinet—is an enclosed, ventilated laboratory workspace for safely working with materials
contaminated with (or potentially contaminated with) pathogens requiring a defined biosafety
level. Several different types of BSC exist, differentiated by the degree of biocontainment
they provide.

Application:

Safety cabinets are used to provide a sterile and controlled environment for handling
hazardous materials, such as infectious agents or toxic chemicals. Safety cabinets help
protect researchers and maintain a safe working environment.

Figure-24 A microbiologist performing influenza research within a biosafety cabinet.

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 4. Cell Culture Hoods:

Description:

Major requirement of a cell culture laboratory is the need to maintain an aseptic work area
that is restricted to cell culture work. The simplest and most economical way to provide
aseptic conditions is to use a cell culture hood. The cell culture hood provides an aseptic
work area while allowing the containment of infectious splashes or aerosols generated by
many microbiological procedures. Three kinds of cell culture hoods, designated as Class I, II
and III, have been developed to meet varying research and clinical needs.

Application:

The cell culture hoods are used for maintaining a sterile environment while working with cell
cultures. These hoods provide a controlled airflow to minimize the risk of contamination.

Figure-25 Working in the tissue culture hood while wearing PPE.

Note- Personal protective equipment, commonly referred to as "PPE", is equipment worn to

minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses.

5. Laminar Flow Cabinets:

Description:

A laminar flow cabinet or tissue culture hood is a carefully enclosed bench designed to
prevent contamination of semiconductor wafers, biological samples, or any particle sensitive
materials. Air is drawn through a HEPA filter and blown in a very smooth, laminar flow

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towards the user. Due to the direction of air flow, the sample is protected from the user but
the user is not protected from the sample. The cabinet is usually made of stainless steel with
no gaps or joints where spores might collect.

Such hoods exist in both horizontal and vertical configurations, and there are many different
types of cabinets with a variety of airflow patterns and acceptable uses.

Laminar flow cabinets may have a UV-C germicidal lamp to sterilize the interior and
contents before usage to prevent contamination of the experiment. Germicidal lamps are
usually kept on for fifteen minutes to sterilize the interior before the cabinet is used. The light
must be switched off when the cabinet is being used, to limit exposure to skin and eyes as
stray ultraviolet light emissions can cause cancer and cataracts.

Note 1- A germicidal lamp (also known as disinfection lamp or sterilizer lamp) is an electric
light that produces ultraviolet C (UVC) light. This short-wave ultraviolet light disrupts
(disorders) DNA base pairing, causing formation of pyrimidine dimers, and leads to the
inactivation of bacteria, viruses, and protozoans. Therefore, it deactivates the DNA of
bacteria, virus and other pathogens and destroys their ability to multiply and cause disease.

It can also be used to produce ozone for water disinfection. They are used in ultraviolet
germicidal irradiation (UVGI).

Note 2- Ultraviolet light is part of the light spectrum, which is classified into three
wavelength ranges:

UV-C, from 100 nanometers (nm) to 280 nm

UV-B, from 280 nm to 315 nm

UV-A, from 315 nm to 400 nm

Note 3- Ozone (or trioxygen) is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula O3. It is a
pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less
stable than the diatomic allotrope O2, breaking down in the lower atmosphere to O2
(dioxygen). Ozone is formed from dioxygen by the action of ultraviolet (UV) light and
electrical discharges within the Earth's atmosphere.

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 Figure-26 Resonance Lewis structures of the ozone molecule.

Ozone is among the most powerful oxidizing agents known, far stronger than O2. It is also
unstable at high concentrations, decaying into ordinary diatomic oxygen. Under laboratory
conditions, the half-life will average ~1500 minutes (25 hours) in still air at room
temperature (24 °C), zero humidity with zero air changes per hour.

2 O3 → 3 O2

Ozone, along with reactive forms of oxygen such as superoxide, singlet oxygen, hydrogen
peroxide, and hypochlorite ions, is produced by white blood cells and other biological
systems (such as the roots of marigolds) as a means of destroying foreign bodies. Ozone
reacts directly with organic double bonds. Also, when ozone breaks down to dioxygen it
gives rise to oxygen free radicals, which are highly reactive and capable of damaging many
organic molecules.

Application:

Similar to cell culture hoods, laminar flow cabinets provide a sterile working environment for
handling sensitive materials. They use a laminar airflow to minimize particle contamination.

Figure-27 Laminar flow cabinet.

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6. Liquid Nitrogen Tanks:

Description:

Liquid nitrogen tanks are units used for the conservation of laboratory samples at very low
temperatures. Due to fast freezing, it prevents damage to structures and protects processes
from moisture, oxidation and contamination.

They are also equipped with transfer technology, insulation and high durability, to ensure
biological samples without any type of failure, with uniform temperatures and the lowest
consumption of liquid nitrogen. The temperature of the entire maintenance area does not
exceed 10°C, and the lowest can reach -190°C.

Liquid nitrogen tanks generally have special characteristics to provide safety and protection
to the personnel handling it, must have structures resistant to low temperatures, to prolong
storage times.

Application:

Used for storing biological samples at ultra-low temperatures. Liquid nitrogen tanks are
commonly used for long-term storage of cells, tissues, and other biological materials.

Figure-28 Liquid Nitrogen Tanks.

7. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) Readers:

Description:

ELISA readers, also known as microplate readers, are instruments used to measure and
analyze the results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). ELISA readers are

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designed to read the absorbance or fluorescence signals generated in ELISA assays. They
typically consist of a light source, filters or monochromators to select specific wavelengths, a
detector, and software for data analysis. The reader measures the intensity of the signal and
converts it into a numerical value, providing quantitative results.

Application:

ELISA is a widely used technique in medical and biological research for detecting and
quantifying various substances such as proteins, antibodies, hormones, antigens and other
biomolecules.

Figure-29 Schematic flowchart: ELISA and COVID-19.

8. DNA Sequencers:

Description:

A DNA sequencer is a scientific instrument used to automate the DNA sequencing process.
Given a sample of DNA, a DNA sequencer is used to determine the order of the four bases:
G (guanine), C (cytosine), A (adenine) and T (thymine). This is then reported as a text string,
called a read. Some DNA sequencers can be also considered optical instruments as they
analyze light signals originating from fluorochromes attached to nucleotides.

Application:

DNA sequencing may be used to determine the sequence of individual genes, larger genetic
regions, full chromosomes, or entire genomes of any organism. DNA sequencing is also the
most efficient way to indirectly sequence RNA or proteins (via their open reading frames). In

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 fact, DNA sequencing has become a key technology in many areas of biology and other
sciences such as medicine, forensics, and anthropology. Additionally, it is used for genetic
research, genome mapping, and studying genetic variations.

Figure-30 DNA sequencers.

Final note-These are just a few examples of laboratory instruments and equipment used in
biomedical laboratories. Each instrument serves a specific purpose and contributes to the
research and analysis conducted in the field of biomedicine.

For more detailed information about specialized laboratory equipment in the biomedical field,
you can refer to the following links:

1. Thermo Fisher Scientific: Biomedical Research Equipment –

https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/cell-analysis/cell-analysis-
learning-center/cell-analysis-resource-library/cell-analysis-application-notes/biomedical-
research.html
2. LabX: Biomedical Laboratory Equipment –
https://www.labx.com/biomedical-laboratory-equipment
3. Beckman Coulter: Biomedical Research Solutions –
https://www.beckman.com/research/applications/biomedical-research