Harvard Medical School Biopolymers Core

Our mission is to provide investigators with access to technology services that will help them speed along their research programs while conserving both time and money by not having to conduct the experiments within their own labs. In addition, we provide a wide variety of the most popular reagents and supplies for immediate pick up from our facility, in an effort to decrease the amount of time it takes to go from an idea to an experiment while simultaneously saving research funds through bulk pricing agreements and no shipping charges. We strive to provide high quality data and a rapid turn around time for all samples.

Services offered include Agilent Bioanalyzer DNA and RNA Quality Assessment, Automation Services, Sanger DNA Sequencing, Luminex XMap Assays, Next-gen Sequencing, Oligonucleotide Ordering, qPCR Assays, Reagents and Supplies Ordering and Sample Preparation (DNA and RNA). We have a comprehensive web based Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) which provides our users with access to order services and supplies as well as retrieve data and review and pay invoices all online.

The Biopolymers Facility (BPF) was originally established as an HHMI funded core facility. The facility's primary mission was to provide DNA sequencing, oligonucleotide synthesis and mass spectrometry services to the Department of Genetics and surrounding Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) labs. The facility was directed by John Rush and administered jointly by the HMS Department of Genetics and HHMI in Chevy Chase, MD. The lab was located on the third floor of the Warren Alpert Building in the Medical School Quad.

In the summer of 2000 Robert Steen joined the facility as the new Director. The labs primary mission as a technology services provider continued but also began to undergo a long transformation that is still in process today. Among the major initial changes were the outsourcing of oligos to vendors and the elimination of on premise synthesis. In addition, Affymetrix Gene Chip and custom printed microarray services were added. DNA sequencing also underwent major changes by eliminating manual sample handling and reaction preparation with the addition of automated robotic liquid handlers. The final major change was a complete overhaul of our facility's computer infrastructure and LIMS.

In the summer of 2002 HHMI began to make major policy changes which ultimately resulted in the laboratory formally being closed on August 31, 2003 and brought to an end the BPF as an HHMI laboratory.