Biological sample storage solutions

Do you want to set up lab space, or move research projects forward faster?

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According to data collected by Bidwells, a property consultancy that focuses on the Oxbridge knowledge economy, almost zero lab space was available in June, across Oxford and Cambridge, UK1. Chief executives and investors have cautioned that the lab space shortage in the “Oxford-Cambridge arc” is forcing companies to look abroad to cities such as Boston in the US, which have a much greater availability of space available. However, even in the United States readily available lab space is becoming increasingly difficult to come by. Several life science groups across major life science hubs have cited that commercial real estate is not keeping up with the demand of the scientific ecosystem2.

In the UK this was the result of a massive surge in demand by almost a quarter in the first half of 20221. This property data raises large concerns about the UK’s ability to capitalize on a surge of interest in its life sciences sector. Research director at Bidwells, Sue Foxley, stated that the shortage is worse than anything she has seen before, with many companies being forced to lease office and other commercial space before refitting them as laboratories:

“The government has grand ambitions to transform Britain into a scientific superpower, but the Oxford-Cambridge arc is at threat of becoming a victim of its own meteoric rise, with the unicorns of tomorrow increasingly being locked out of mission-critical R&D space.” she told the Financial Times2.

Rentable spaces can see significant wait lists, rigorous vetting processes and high rent rates that challenge start-ups and research groups that wish to expand rapidly. These factors could slow growth and innovation due to a restriction of access to the right resources and technologies3.

Empy lab in need of setting up

In the long term, greater investment in creating laboratory space and offices is required, however this will take a huge amount of investment from governments and organizations and could take many years to complete. Unfortunately, this solution doesn’t help many laboratory managers who are in desperate need of bench space right now. Where time and overheads are an issue, working with an external service provider could be an effective solution for those looking to move their research projects forwards faster.

With facilities across both the US and UK, as well as partner labs in The Netherlands, China and Australia as well as nearly 25 years’ experience in handling biological samples, Sampled are here to support researchers with a range of services.

Why set up your own lab space? Use Sampled SMART Labs Outsourced Biorepository & Lab Services

As one of the worlds largest biorepositories, Sampled store over 11.5 million samples for researchers worldwide that could mitigate the resources and ongoing the ongoing investment that may be required when setting up your own biobank4. From small collections provided in a variety of labware formats through to providing storage for your own freezers/LN2 tanks on our premises, Sampled has the expertise and flexibility to protect sample integrity and chain of custody documentation. Our facilities are also equipped to mitigate risks from environmental factors and feature redundancies such as back-up generators and Liquid Nitrogen supply back-ups.

Sampled Lab featuring Perkin Elmer Chmagic 360

Saving on floor space and preserving sample integrity are not the only reasons to consider outsourcing services. The value of the insights gained from your biological samples is also dependent on access to the right technologies, Sampled SMART Labs are set up to provide access to a wide range of technology providers such as; Perkin Elmer, Illumina, ThermoFisher, Standard BioTools and many other leading technologies.

If you have biologic samples you need to Store, Manage, Analyze, Research or Transport, Sampled has the facilities and expertise ready to support you today. Get in touch with one of our experts here.

Sources:

  1. Bidwells report: https://www.bidwells.co.uk/what-we-think/arc-market-databook-cambridgeshire-offices-and-labs-summer-2021/
  2. Financial Times article- Lab space shortage threatens life science boom in Oxford and Cambridge: https://www.ft.com/content/397a75aa-3047-432e-8664-d1974fbb05df
  3. Entrepreneur article- The Shortage of Lab Space in the United States Is Stifling Innovation: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/424975
  4. Frontiers in Medicine Article – Automated Sample Storage in Biobanking to Enhance Translational Research: The Bumpy Road to Implementation: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338482409_Automated_Sample_Storage_in_Biobanking_to_Enhance_Translational_Research_The_Bumpy_Road_to_Implementation

Managing success: How sample management can make or break a business

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It goes without saying that executing accurate and reproducible scientific research is at the heart of any successful research group or biotech. However, as research progresses so inevitably does the number of cell/tissue samples increase from a manageable level to thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of samples. At a certain point a limit is reached whereby the number of samples that must be stored or managed simultaneously becomes too much to handle internally. Having an endless sea of cells in a spreadsheet, or worse, multiple spreadsheets that are each updated without proper cross-communication, could easily lead to samples being misplaced. How academic groups and businesses manage their ever-increasing numbers of samples from various studies invariably becomes a hurdle to overcome for their continued success.

Why rigorous sample management matters

When academic groups and scaling biotech companies grow, the obvious hurdle that they must overcome is how to scale their sample management appropriately. This means at a certain point in time, it is no longer feasible for them to rely on one or more scientists to spend ever increasing amounts of time barcoding, labeling and digitally storing the information on a spreadsheet. What if the spreadsheet isn’t updated correctly? What if the file becomes corrupted and information is lost? These are frighteningly common situations that could spell disaster as precious samples that cannot be replaced become unidentifiable forever.

Not only is there an increasing amount of time dedicated to correctly labelling, sorting and storing samples, the time and resources dedicated to sample processing also increases greatly too. For example, blood samples would need to be fractionated into constituent components, including peripheral blood mononuclear cells, plasma or serum and red blood cells. Each fraction would then have to be cryopreserved under controlled conditions and stored. Likewise, for DNA and RNA samples extracted from tissues (e.g., blood) concentration, purity and identity must be determined prior to storage. These bioprocessing steps require more time and resources as the number of samples increases.

These are just a few reasons many companies and research groups turn to Sampled to manage and store samples on their behalf. Sampled utilizes LIMS software to ensure that each time a sample is handled, analyzed or stored, the sample is scanned via its barcode and the activity is logged. Tracking the chain of custody from the moment a sample is picked up from a client’s lab to the moment it is stored in a freezer ensures full transparency and great precision in real time.

Navigating the maze of shipping samples

It is well known that sample handling errors almost always occur in the field, this can be because a phlebotomist has mislabeled a blood sample, for example. It is therefore necessary to have the staff and resources to be able to understand how these errors occur as well as what the regulatory and customs agencies of various countries require for efficient shipping. Most scaling businesses simply cannot dedicate the required staff or time to deal with these inevitable hiccups which is where Sampled can help. Since we have trained staff on hand, we take care of all shipping and handling to remove the headache of paperwork from businesses so they can focus on what they do best. Our staff prepare customized kits for clients so that they simply fill the pre-barcoded sample vessels and ship them in the appropriate cryovessel we provide. Using our LIMS system, we can ensure that the correct samples arrive at the right place at the right time. At each stage the samples are scanned to ensure a clear chain of custody which is crucial for certain clients such as those looking to capture this data for clinical trials.

In short, Sampled can make a real impact by correctly managing and even storing client’s samples using properly trained staff and LIMS software. In doing so, researchers focus on the important research that matters, instead of tracking down lost samples or wasting time on the phone talking to customs agents.

If you would like to contact one of our experts about how Sampled provide sample management solutions that are tailor-made to your research, click here

Client-centered Biological Sample Storage and Management Solutions

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In the time between when a sample is collected and when it is analyzed, samples can degrade if they are not properly stored. So, it is critical to have a storage process for the short and long term that is efficient and preserves its integrity over time.

liquid nitrogen sample storage

When most people think of biological research, the first thing that comes to mind is sample processing; however, all samples need to be stored in the proper conditions prior to testing. Biological samples degrade over a period of time, and improper storage jeopardizes the integrity of the samples which may cause inaccurate and inconsistent results. To prevent degradation, there are several ways biological samples may be stored for long- and short-term durations, and Sampled offers them all!

With a truly client-centered approach, Sampled can cater to the storage needs of all the samples we store. Plus, we are committed to ensuring the most appropriate handling and care of the samples we manage. We maintain an environment in which the temperature of every refrigerator, freezer, and room are closely monitored to provide optimal conditions for the samples.

For more tips on safely storing biological samples, click here.

The following highlights the sample storage options that Sampled offers.

Automated Storage: Preserves the Quality of Samples and Results

Sampled utilizes a state-of-the-art monitoring system, managed by LIMS, which allows for constant monitoring and data generation. This alerts highly qualified personnel of any excursions and will prevent any issues with the sample storage that could affect downstream analysis. These monitoring systems are in place in the freezer storage units and liquid nitrogen tanks – any temperature fluctuations alert the appropriate groups to take action. This constant monitoring ensures that sample integrity is not compromised at any point in the sample lifecycle.

Mechanical Storage: Preserve the Quality of Samples by Minimizing Excursions

The storage freezers are typically set at the industry standards of -80, -20, and 5°C, but Sampled also has the capacity to customize the storage temperature to meet a customer’s needs! In addition, we are in the process of implementing Biostore, which is an automated sample management and storage system. This has astronomical sample storage benefits because it allows sample handling to be greatly minimized. The freezer intakes and stores the samples at the specified temperature, which means there are no opened doors which would cause any type of temperature excursions.

Liquid Nitrogen Storage: Preserve the Quality of Samples at any Stage

All cell and stem cell lines utilize the liquid nitrogen storage. Cryopreserved cell storage allows for the accommodation of storage at different stages of the lifecycle. The same temperature monitoring, managed by LIMS, is also used to constantly monitor the temperatures of the liquid nitrogen tanks.

Sampled has achieved the distinguished Biorepository Accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). This involves a rigorous inspection process to ensure that Sampled facilities meet the required criteria. A series of external and internal inspections takes place annually in order to maintain this accreditation.

The liquid nitrogen storage tanks also have an automated storage component which minimizes introductions to other temperatures – preventing sample excursions. There is also a component that maintains the storage temperature from retrieval to processing and packaging.

Bulk and Non-bulk Storage

Sampled has the distinct ability to receive and store a specific set of samples for clients or support large capacity storage. We’re able to provide bulk storage because we can take storage units and entire freezers of samples for the clients we serve. As with all other storage services that Sampled offers, we offer a wide range of customizable sample storage options.

Global Distribution: Preserve the Quality of Samples while Transporting around the World

The highly skilled Sampled Global Distribution Team is trained in IATA and Department of Transportation Regulations. We can ship samples all over the world while maintaining the proper storage conditions with the highest sample integrity. This practice was even achievable during the pandemic!

This global distribution team works closely with the CDC to obtain the appropriate qualifications and import and export samples globally. We are skilled in dealing with customs issues, managing requirements, and ensuring that samples are distributed in a timely manner. The samples are tracked to ensure appropriate temperature monitoring and manage biospecimens from the time they leave the Sampled facility until they are delivered to the customer.

Have Samples You need to Store?

Sampled has facilities which offer biobanking and biorepository services, which allow biological material to be stored at optimal conditions to promote sample longevity. Amid the pandemic, and even now, Sampled has a crucial role to play. We have a laboratory that processes COVID-19 samples, and a storage facility which houses vaccines and testing samples.

Sampled can be trusted with all of your sample storage needs – contact us today!