Message-Id: <9702031423.AA17364@deneb.rm.fccc.edu>
Subject: Re: BIAcore
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Fri, 31 Jan 97 10:28:00 CST."
<9700318547.AA854729372@muccmail.missouri.edu>
Date: Mon, 03 Feb 97 09:23:04 -0500
From: "\"\"Dr. Anthony Yeung\"\"" <yeung@deneb.rm.fccc.edu>
To: Recipients of ABRF List <abrf@aecom.yu.edu>
Hi David:
I am no expert on the BIAcore, but I know how to run a CORE lab, and
to run a basic research program and understand how to satisy both needs at out
Institution.
We have had a BIAcore 1000 for a year. The BIAcore is attention
intensive in that you have to think on the fly and to plan your next
experiment as data comes out. It is a strength because it is so information
rich. The automation is essential if you intend to do serious affinity
studies, even the preliminary studies. For some science, you cannot get by
without it. For other papers you see, you wonder if they were done because
they need a BIAcore, or because they have a BIAcore.
My service support tells me that the BIAcore in other labs are robust
and never have trouble. Having said that, they are here quickly and service is
superb. The NEC computer they provide may be a nuisance. You need to see the
BIAcore as a science and instrument that is advanced but still evolving, even
at the applications front, Kind of like the mass-spec for protein sequencing
at less that 1 picomole. We are glad we have it. We have considered other
suppliers before we bought the BIAcore.
We charge $1000 per month for unlimited access users in house. The
users get trained, and get enzymology and kinetic analysis support. Other
users are charged $35/hour for support, and $100 per day of instrument time.
I aim to only recover service contract labor and supplies. Our institution
would benefit from pushing grants over the funding line. Work volume is
important to keep a BIAcore financially sound. If you do not have antibody
intensive labs there, the kinetic analysis can cost you so much investigation
time and consultation that your wonder if your users can afford the high end
data that the BIAcore can provide. You need users with lots of need for
"relative affinity" kind of data, or they better be able to do the studies
themselves. Our unlimited access users do their own runs, keep a log book for
me, and as post-docs and PI's, they are here night and day and week-ends,
thereby make the instrument cost effective.
As to 200 samples, we sometimes run 100 binding and elution cycles per
night in a study on the same chip. You need to do that at least 20 days for a
publishable set of data (not for path finding data). Forget about the
non-automated models.
Every core facility should have access to a BIAcore although not everyone
should own one. You need to do a lot of user education and must continuously
seek new users and tell them what you can do for them. Enzyme kinetics, as
always, do not taste natural to molecular biologists who are the major clients
who can benefit from the BIAcore.
Hope this helps.
Tony
> To all who have a BIAcore,
> In have a BIAcore as a service instrument, is it labor intensive
> and is it a problem to maintain?
>
> In the three different Pharmacia models, are they similiarly robust
> in reliablity and is the lower end model too labor intensive in the
> long run (after 200 samples)? Is Pharmacia the sole vendor?
>
> What are they typical service charges univ. core labor are
> charging? I will have to recover service contract, labor,
> supplies, but not the cost of the BIAcore.
>
> Comments to any or all questions will be appreciated,
> David Chin
> UMC Protein Core
>
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Anthony Yeung, Ph.D. Phone: (215) 728-2488
Member FAX: (215) 728-3647
Fox Chase Cancer Center Internet: AT_Yeung@fccc.edu
7701 Burholme Ave.
Philadelphia. PA 19111
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