W.M. Keck Biotechnology Resource Laboratory

The Keck Biotechnology Resource Laboratory provides ~113 genomic, proteomic, biostatistical, bioinformatics, and high performance computing technologies to hundreds of Yale and non-Yale investigators whose research otherwise might not benefit from the highly sophisticated and expensive instrumentation upon which biological and biomedical research is increasingly dependent. In fiscal year 2013 the Keck Lab carried out 283,931 analyses and syntheses for 446 Yale and 419 non-Yale investigators at 249 institutions in 27 countries. With 26 staff, including 13 with Ph.D. and 4 with M.S. level degrees, ~21,000 ft² of custom-designed space, and ~133 major instrument systems purchased at a cost of ~$12 million dollars; we believe the Keck Lab is among the largest academic biotechnology resource laboratories of its kind. The Keck Biotechnology Resource Laboratory operates on a fee-for service basis and also houses cores for several NIH Centers.

The Keck Biotechnology Resource Laboratory is organized into three genomic (DNA Sequencing, Microarray, and Oligo Synthesis), two proteomic (Biophysics and MS/Proteomics), and three multi-disciplinary Resources (Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, and High Performance Computing). The 8 Keck Resources provide a wide range of syntheses and analyses that include gene expression and SNP genotyping using microarray technologies, oligo synthesis, DNA sequencing, biophysical analysis of proteins and other biopolymers, biostatistical and bioinformatics analyses, mass spectrometry (MS), protein profiling, and high performance computing.

HIPAA Policies for Sample Submission

Our Facility will not accept samples containing protected health information (PHI) or electronic protected health information (ePHI) that is covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Any individually identifiable health information associated with a sample must be removed by the user before the sample will be accepted. Data that is “individually identifiable” includes any of the 18 identifiers that could be used, either alone or in combination with other information, to identify an individual. These identifiers are:

• Name
• Address (all geographic subdivisions smaller than state, including street address, city, county, or ZIP code)
• All elements (except years) of dates related to an individual (including birth date, admission date, discharge date, date of death, and exact age if over 89)
• Telephone numbers
• FAX number
• Email address
• Social Security number
• Medical record number
• Health plan beneficiary number
• Account number
• Certificate/license number
• Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbers
• Device identifiers or serial numbers
• Web URLs
• IP address
• Biometric identifiers, including finger or voice prints
• Full-face photographic images and any comparable images
  
• Any other unique identifying number, characteristic, or code

All of the above identifiers must be removed (de-identification) or sufficiently encoded (anonymization) by the user to prevent re-identification of an individual before samples will be accepted.