Notebook
Laboratory notes are an essential part of any iGEM project. They serve not only as a record of what we did in the lab but also as a reference for others who may want to repeat, build upon, or evaluate our work. According to the iGEM 2025 official guidelines, good documentation should be clear, organized, and reproducible. This means that every experiment should include its purpose, materials, methods, results, and reflections on what was learned.
For our team, the lab note acted as the central record of experimental progress. Every member contributed by documenting their own work immediately after each session. Notes were written in detail, including all steps, concentrations, incubation times, and any unexpected results or troubleshooting we encountered. By doing this consistently, we created a transparent record that allows others to understand not only what worked but also what challenges we faced and how we overcame them.
Organization of Our Lab Notes
We organized our lab notes into three main experimental phases:
- Molecular Biology and Cloning (pipetting accuracy, plasmid transformation, plasmid extraction)
- Protein Expression and Characterization (colony selection, induction, SDS-PAGE analysis)
- Protein Quantification and Binding Assays (BCA assay, refolding of MHC-peptide complexes, fluorescence detection for peptide binding)
Each entry contains:
- Objective -- why the experiment was performed.
- Materials and Methods -- the reagents and step-by-step procedures used.
- Results -- observations, gel images, or quantification data.
- Purpose and Learning -- how the results connected back to our project goals.
All notes were consolidated into a single digital document, which we updated weekly. This ensured consistency and allowed us to track progress over time. The final lab note has been uploaded here as a PDF for full transparency.
Accessing the Lab Note
View our complete lab note below — flip through pages using the arrows.
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