Quality assurance and quality control

The Columbia Genome Center maintains a rigorous standard of quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC). Each instrument is routinely monitored to ensure that the dispense volumes requested are those that are observed. These records can be used to identify trends in data and aid in the maintenance of the instruments.

In addition, each assay plate contains controls to track the overall quality of the assay. If a plate fails quality control, we will re-run it to ensure accurate results.

Can members of my laboratory participate in the execution of screening protocols?

Yes. We welcome the involvement of investigators from our clients’ laboratories throughout the process of preparing assays, particularly graduate students and postdoctoral scientists who are interested in learning more about the principles of high-throughput screening.

Including researchers with expertise in the behavior of the specific biological systems being studied helps us to implement our protocol most effectively and to understand the results that we see. This also offers a valuable educational benefit for junior researchers who work with us, helping them to understand how screening can benefit research in their chosen areas of investigation.