Room Temperature Biological Sample Storage Stanford University Pilot Prepared by Gregory D. Jensen, Management Consultant, Sustainable BioVentures May 2009 Land Community Transportation Students Waste Water Buildings Energy
RoomTemperatureBiologicalSampleStorage
StanfordUniversityPilot
Preparedby
GregoryD.Jensen,ManagementConsultant,SustainableBioVentures
May2009
LandCommunity Transportation Students WasteWater BuildingsEnergy
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FigureA 10YearAccumulatedSavings
ExecutiveSummary
StanfordUniversitycouldcutusageofelectricitybyfortymillionkilowatthours(kWh),reduceitscarbonfootprintbyanestimatedeighteenthousandmetrictonsandsave$16milliondollarsinoperatingcostsoverthenexttenyearsbytransferringbiologicalsamplesfromfrozenstoragetoroomtemperaturestoragetechnology.(FigureA)
Background:Over350laboratoriesandthousandsofresearchersacrossStanfordUniversityareadvancingbiologicalandbiomedicalresearchgeneratinglargecollectionsofbiologicalsamples.Thesesamplesarebothscientificallyandfinanciallyvaluabletotheresearcherandtheuniversity.Oftenirreplaceable,samplecollectionsatStanfordaregrowingatanescalatingrate.Hundredsofscientificfreezersacrosscampusareneededtosafelystorethecurrentsamplecollectionconsuminglargeamountsofenergy,preciousresearchdollars,andvaluablespace.
Objective:ThepilotstudysetouttoallowadiversegroupofStanfordresearchlaboratoriestotransferbiologicalsamplesfromfreezerstoroomtemperaturestorage.Thestudyalsointendedtoevaluateandgenerateaforecastofenvironmental,financialandadditionalbenefitsofauniversitywideprogramtoimplementthetechnology.
Methods:StanfordSustainabilityandEnergyManagement(SEM)recentlycommissionedandcompletedapilotprojecttoestimatepotentialbenefitsofroomtemperaturesamplestorageusinganewtechnology.StanfordsuppliedreagentsandmaterialstotwelvepilotlaboratoriesfromtheSchoolofMedicineandBiologyDepartment.Asophisticatedforecastmodelwasdevelopedusinginformationfromapilotgroupoflabs,fourteenadditionallaboratories,otherStanfordspecificdata,andindustrytrendstoestimatethepotentialcampuswidebenefits.
KeyFindingsandConclusions:
Anestimatedninetothirteenmillionsamples(representing2025%ofthetotalStanfordsamplecollection)couldbemovedfromfreezerstoroomtemperaturetechnology.
Theinitialinvestmentintransferringthesesamplescouldberecoveredwithinthreetofiveyearsunderabroadimplementationprogram.
TheprogramcouldgenerateanestimatedeleventotwentymilliondollarsincostreductionsaswellaspreventseventeentotwentythousandtonsofCO2fromenteringtheenvironment.
Inadditiontodirectbenefits,transferredsampleswouldbeshieldedfromdegradationduetopowerdisruptions,andthousandsofsquarefeetoflabspacecouldbeliberatedforbetteruse.Benefitsrevealedinthisreportcouldberealizedimmediatelyandcontinuetogeneratesavingsformanyyears.
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Figure1 TenYearAccumulatedEnergyandCosttoMaintainFreezer
RoomTemperatureSampleStoragePilotProjectReport
StanfordUniversityisarecognizedleaderinsustainability,asacknowledgedbytheSustainableEndowmentsInstituteinits2008CollegeSustainabilityReportCardi.Eventhoughmuchhasbeenachieved,asignificantopportunitytoimprovesustainabilityatStanfordremainsuntappedwithinthefreezersofitsbiologicalandmedicallaboratories.Stanfordhousesnearly2000freezersinmorethan350laboratoriesacrossitscampus.Eachyearthesefreezersconsumeanestimated39,700MillionBTUs(MBTU)ofenergy,generate3,600tonsofcarbondioxide(CO2)andcost$5.6milliontooperate.
Accordingtocapitalequipmentrecords,theUniversitypurchasesanaverageof40newultralowtemperaturefreezerseachyeartoaccommodategrowthofitsbiologicalsamplecollectionandreplaceagingequipment.iiWhilemaintainingthecurrentsamplecollectionseemsdaunting,industryexpertsanticipatethesamplegenerationratetodoubleinthenexttwoyears,drivenbyanincreasingnumberofsamplesgeneratedbyagrowingnumberofclinicaltrials,newtechnology,personalizedmedicineandstemcellresearch.
CurrentChallenges
EnergyUse:Stanfordsfreezercollectionisprojectedtoconsume564,000MBTUandgenerate51,000metrictonsofCO2atanaccumulatedcostof$69Millionduringthenexttenyears.Figure1illustratesthechallengefacingStanfordnowandoverthenexttenyearsduetoitsrelianceoncurrentmethodsofstoringandprotectingitsbiologicalsamples.
SpaceUtilization:Inadditiontotheescalatingcostandenergydrain,eachfreezeroccupies30squarefeetofvaluablelabspace,whichisputtingpressureonplanningforfuturegrowth.Assumingthecurrent5%peryeargrowthrateforthefreezercollection,Stanfordwouldhavenearly3,000freezersintenyears,whichwouldoccupynearly96,000squarefeetoflabspaceoraboutonefifthofthetotalwetlabspace,notincludingsupportspaceiii.
AprojectionofthegrowthofStanfordsfreezercollectionbelowinTable1isbasedonahistoricalgrowthrateof5%peryearforultralowfreezers.However,theexpectationsforhiringmedicalschoolfacultyandexpandingcurrentprogramscoulddrivethecurrentandfuturegrowthratesignificantlyhigher.Accordingtoprojections
StanfordUniversityToday350*Laboratories2000*Freezers610,000SquareFeetWetLabSpace*EstimatebasedonStanforddata
AnnualSampleStorageImpact40,000MillionBTUs3,600metricTonsofCO2$5,600,000operatingcost
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fromtheofficeofinstitutionalplanning,theSchoolofMedicineplanstohirenearlyonehundrednewresearchfacultyby2014a33%increase.ivInadditiontoanincreaseinfaculty,medicalschoolleadershipanticipatesanincreaseinsamplegenerationratefromresearchersconductinganincreasingnumberofpopulationstudies.
Freezers 20082013Forecast
2018Forecast
UltraLowTempfreezers80C 735 938 1,197
LowTempFreezers20C 1224* 1,562 1,994
TotalFreezers 1,959 2,500 3,191
FreezerFootprint(SQFeet) 58,770 75,007 95,730
AdditionalFactorsnotIncludedAboveLikelytoexacerbatefreezergrowthfiguressignificantly
33%growthexpectedinmedicalschoolfacultyby2014 Projectedincreaseinsamplegenerationratesduetonewtechnologyandpopulationstudies Newlabconstructionspacelimitations
*Estimatednumberof20basedonpilotgroupdata
Table1PredictedFreezerGrowthatStanford
TheOpportunity
GiventhegrowthexpectationsofStanfordsbiologicalsamplecollection,whichincreasinglydemandsmoreenergy,spaceandmoneytomaintain,asustainablealternativeisneededtoslowfreezerdemand.Nonfreezerdependantstoragetechnologiesarealternativestocurrentpracticesthatpromisetoreduceenergyconsumption,spacedemandsandescalatingcostsgeneratedbylaboratoriesstoringsamplesinfrozenenvironments.
StanfordUniversityPilotStudyObjective
TheobjectiveofthispilotstudywastoevaluatethepotentialofroomtemperaturestoragetosaveenergyandreducecarbonfootprintbyallowingStanfordsresearcherstosafelystorebiologicalsampleswithouttheneedoffreezers.
WhileroomtemperaturetechnologyhasthepotentialtohelpreduceStanfordsdependencyonfrozenstorage,thishypothesisneededtobeproven.Tothisend,theDepartmentofStanfordSustainabilityandEnergyManagement(SEM)initiatedapilotstudyofanewtechnologyduringthefallof2008.
RoomTemperatureSampleStorageTechnology
Thenewtechnologyevaluatedinthisstudyenablessafestorageofbiologicalmaterialatroomtemperature.Thetechnologypreventsthedegradationofbiologicalmaterialsatroomtemperature,eliminatingtheneedforcoldstorageandcoldshipping.Biomolecules,suchasDNA,RNAandbacteriacanbestabilizedatambienttemperaturesprovidingacosteffectivealternativetostoringsamplesinfreezersandcoldshipping.
ThetechnologyisbasedonextremophilebiologyoriginallyidentifiedbyDr.JohnCrowe,ProfessorEmeritusUCDavis.vUsingextremophilebiology,organismssuchastardigradesandbrineshrimpareabletoprotecttheir
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DNA,RNA,proteins,membranesandcellularsystemsforlongtermsurvivalinadriedstateoranhydrobiosis(lifewithoutwater)andlaterrevivebysimplerehydration.Thistechnologymimicsthenaturalmolecularmechanismsusedbytheseorganisms.Thetechnologyworksbyformingathermostablebarrierduringthedryingprocesstoprotectsamplesfromdegradationduringstorageatroomtemperature(Figure2and3).
TheproductsevaluatedinthispilotprovidelongtermstorageofpurifiedDNAandRNAsamples.Thetechnologycaneasilyaccommodateavarietyofstoragecontainers,therebyfacilitatingefficientsampletransferfromexistingcollectionsorthecreationofnewones.
PilotGroupLaboratorySelection
ResearchersrespondedenthusiasticallytotheinvitationtoparticipateinthepilotstudyfromtheStanfordDeanofBiologyandSr.AssociateDeanofResearchintheStanfordSchoolofMedicine.Thepilotgroupwasestablishedwithintwoweeks,andmanyadditionalinterestedlaboratoriesappliedtoparticipate.
TwelvelaboratorieswithavarietyofresearchfocusareaswereselectedfromStanfordsSchoolofMedicineandBiologyDepartment.Adiversesetoflaboratoriesinthepilotgroupprovidedinsightintotheapplicabilityoftheroomtemperaturetechnologywithinavarietyoflaboratorysettings.Inaddition,thegroup,whilenotarandomsample,doesprovideareasonableproxyformakingpredictionsaboutthebroaderpopulationoflaboratoriesatStanford.Labsbeyondthecorepilotgroupprovidedinformationaboutsamplecollectionsandlabequipmentincreasingtheamountofknowndatatoimproveforecastaccuracy.
Figure2Structuralpredictionofbiostabilitymatrixinteractingwithnucleicacids
Figure3 Electronmicrographofprotectivethermostablebarrier
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PilotParticipationGroup
Thepilotgroupincludeslaboratoriesfromtendifferentdepartments,amicroarraycorecancerfacility,apediatricpsychiatryclinicallab,onetissuebankandoneplantbiologylaboratory.Alllaboratorieshavecommonsamplerequirementsofbiologicalresearchlaboratorieswithmolecularorcellularfocus(Table2).
LaboratoryDescription MedicalSchool Biology
Morethan100,000addressablesamples(Corefacilityandlargegenomiclab)
1 1
1,000to10,000addressablesamples 4 Lessthan1,000samples 6
Totalsampletransferlaboratories 11 1
Laboratoriesonwaitinglist(samplecollectiondataonly) 13 1
Totallaboratories 26
Participantsprovidedextensiveinformationabouttheirsamplecollections,includingsampleformatsandtypes,freezerstoragetemperature,samplegenerationrates,andthenumberoffreezersusedtocontaineachsamplecollection.Thedatafromthelabsprovideddetailaboutthesamplesstoredineachlabincludingthenumberofcandidatesamplesandprovidedbetterunderstandingofsamplemanagementpractices.
DataAnalysisandMethodology
Nearlyonemillioncandidatesampleswerediscoveredinthefreezersofparticipatinglabsinthepilotgroup.Basedontheirsamplecollection,eachpilotparticipantreceivedroomtemperaturestoragetechnologyreagents,storagecabinetsandsampletrackingsoftware..Thesematerialsfacilitatedthetransferofnearlyseventythousandsamplesoutoftheonemillionaddressablesamplesdiscoveredinthepilotgroup.Samplecollectionsoftwentysixlaboratorieswereassessed.
Aninteractiveanalysistoolwascreatedusingaspreadsheetprogram,toprovideanaccuratemodelofthecostsoffrozenstorageperbiologicalsample.Themodelwasdesignedtoaccountforvarioussamplestorageformats,samplelocations,laborrequirements,maintenancerequirementsandnumerousotherparameters.AllassumptionswereverifiedbyreliableindustrysourcesandvalidatedthroughextensiveinterviewsofStanfordpersonnelinutilities,facilitymanagementgroup,purchasingandtheSchoolofMedicine.Assumptionswerefurthersupportedthroughactualdatagainedfromdetailedsurveyresponsesfromthepilotgroup.Energyandcostsavingsdatafromthepilotgroupwerecalculatedtoprovidethebasistoforecastthecampuswidesamplecollection.Finally,theprojectionsinthemodelallowedinputofvariousgrowthratestoenablegenerationofconservative,moderateandaggressivescenarios.
Thepilotdataprovidedthebasisforusingthemodeltomakeaconservativeestimateofthetotalnumberofaddressablesamplesoncampus.Theprojectionishighlyinfluencedbythepredicteddistributionofsample
Table2PilotParticipantGroup
PilotGroup Results
NumberofaddressableSamples 923,000(DNAandRNA)
NumberofFreezers 34UltraLow(70C80C)
59LowTemperature(20C)
Table3 PilotSurveyData
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containerformatandwasguidedbythepilotgroupsamplecollection.Usingthepilotgroupdataanddistributionofsamplecontainerformat,apredictionofbetweenninetothirteenmillionaddressablesampleswasgenerated.Thecontainerformatofthesesamplesisclassifiedintofourcategoriesbasedonthefourmostcommoncontainervolumesfoundinresearch.ThedistributionassumptionsusedinthemodelarelistedinTable4.
ContainerFormatTemperature
HighDensity MediumHigh MediumLow LowDensity
UltraLow(80) 4% 6% 57% 0%
Low(20C) 4% 6% 23% 0%
EnergyConsumptionPerSample LowHigh
Table4CampuswideProjectionofContainerFormatDistribution
Highdensitysamplecontainersoccupysmallervolumespersampleandthereforeconsumelessenergypersamplevolumethanlowdensitycontainerformats.Themodelwasdesignedtoallocateenergyconsumptionofasamplebyformat;thereforecarefulconsiderationhadtobegiventotheformatdistributionofthepilotgroup.Thedistributionpercentagesofthepilotgroupguidedareasonabledistributionforthepredictednumberofsamplesoncampus.EvidencethatthepercentagesinTable3areconservativewasprovidedbyapreviousfreezerstudyconductedintheSchoolofMedicinein2007,whichfoundthatnearly90%ofsamplesinultralowtemperaturefreezerswereinmediumlowcategory.viIfthepercentageofsamplesatlowerdensityiscloserto90%,thenthepotentialsavingsforStanfordcouldincreasedramaticallyduetotheenergyrequiredtostoreagreaternumberoflowerdensitysamples.
Animportantbenefittononfrozenstorageisthefreedomtostoresamplesathigherdensitythaninthefrozenenvironment,whichcangenerateevengreatersavings.Withinthefrozenenvironment,samplesareoftenstoredinindividualtubes,whicharetypicallymuchmorecostlyandlessefficientthanstoringmultiplesamplesinahigherdensityplatetypeformat.Researchersfavorthislessefficientenergyformatbecausetheytrytolimitthenumberoffreezethawcyclesforeachsample.Whensamplesarestoredinahigherdensityformatsuchasaninetysixwellplateforexample,theotherninetyfivesamplesarethawedwhenaresearcherneedstouseonlyonesample.Therefore,mostresearchlaboratoriesfavorindividualtubesforfrozenstorage.However,samplesstoredinambienttemperaturecanbeindividuallyaccessedwithoutanyeffecttoneighboringsampleswithinasinglestorageplate.Movingindividualtubesamplesoutoffrozenstoragetoroomtemperatureinahigherdensityformatthereforeincreasestheamountofsavingsgained.
Sinceprojectionsinthemodelrelyheavilyuponthecontainerformatsofsamplesinthepilotgroupandmanyofthesamplesinthepilotgrouptendedtostoreinhighdensitycontainers,thentheprojectedsavingsgainedbyacampuswideprogrammaybeunderstated.Therefore,aprogramthattakesadvantageofthefreedomthatroomtemperaturestorageprovidesresearcherstostoresamplesinhigherdensitycontainerformatscouldrealizeevengreatersavings.
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Figure4 AccumulatedElectricitySavings
Cost,SavingsandResults
Accordingtomodelcalculations,transferringtheaddressablesamplesinthepilotgroupalonewouldsaveStanfordanestimated108MillionBTUofenergy,reduceCO2emissionsbyeleventonsandsavenearly$17,000everyyearbyreducingcapitalequipmentandoperationalcostsforsixfreezers.
Thepilotgroupalsoprovidedinsightintothepotentialmagnitudeofthesavingsinenergy,CO2emissionsandoperatingcoststhatcouldbebroughtaboutbymovingsamplesoutoffrozenstorageonacampuswidescale.Extensiveinterviewsofpilotparticipantsprovidedthedatafoundationtoestimatethenumberofcandidatesamplesstoredacrosscampus.Stanfordpersonnelprovidedcapitalequipmentcounts,costs,purchaseinformationandtrends,researchfacultynumbersandwetlabsquarefootagetovalidateourestimatesandmakeaccuratepredictionsaboutfuturegrowth.
Basedonthecalculationswithintheforecastmodel,Stanfordresearchlaboratoriescurrentlycontainbetweennineandthirteenmillionsamplesthatcouldbetransferredtoroomtemperaturestorage.TransferringthiscollectioncouldsavemorethantwomillionkWhofelectricity,nearlyfourhundredthousandtonhrofchilledwaterneededtocoolspace,andreducethecarbonfootprintbyasmuchaselevenhundredmetrictonsofCO2annually(Table5).
Thevaluebecomesevenmoreevidentovertenyears.Usingaconservativeannualsamplegrowthrateof10%,StanfordcouldreduceestimatedfortymillionkWhandnearlysevenmilliontonhrsofchilledwaterbyplacingcurrentandnewlygeneratedbiologicalsamplesintoroomtemperaturestorage(Figure4and5).
StanfordCampuswidePotentialAddressableSamples913millionCO2 9001100MetricT/yearElectricity 2.02.4millionkWh/yearChilledWater 340400thousandThr/year(spacecooling)
Totalenergy 1012thousandMBTU/yearCostsavings $1.21.4million/year
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ThispotentialenergyreductionwouldreducetheUniversityscarbonfootprintbyanestimatedfifteenthousandmetrictonsoverthesameperiod.Savingsofthismagnitudecouldhelpslowtheescalatingenergyandspacedemandchallengesofmaintainingthecurrentfreezerbasedsystem.
Inadditiontothesignificantenvironmentalbenefits,shiftingsamplestoroomtemperaturedramaticallyreducescosts.Thesamplesthatcouldbetransferredtoroomtemperaturestoragetoday,alongwiththesamplesprojectedtobegeneratedbyresearchoverthenextdecade(assuminga10%peryearsamplegenerationrate),wouldcostoverthirtymilliondollarstomaintaininfreezers.Usingroomtemperaturesamplestorage,Stanfordcouldrealizeanetsavingsofmorethansixteenmilliondollarsoverthenextdecadeandrecoveritsinitialinvestmentwithinthreetofiveyears(Figures6).Greatersavingsandfreezerreductioncouldberealizedasnewproductsbecomeavailableforstoringblood,serum,andproteinsamples.
Theprojectedsavingsfallintoseveralcategories(Figure7).Energysavingsfromelectricityandchilledwateraccountfornearly27%ofthetotal.Capitalequipmentandmaintenanceaccountfor40%oftheprojectedsavings,and28%ofthesavingsisgeneratedfromreclaimingthespaceoccupiedbyeachfreezer.Spacecostsareinternallyallocated,andcostpersquarefootisdeterminedbyaninternalchargeoutrate.Toavoidthepossibilityofoverstatingenergysavings,allelectricityandchilledwatercostsnormallyallocatedtowetlabspaceatStanfordarenotincludedinthespacecostpersquarefootusedinthesavingsprojection.Totalsavingsremainsignificantatnearlyonemilliondollarsannuallyandclosetoelevenmilliondollarsovertenyearseven
Figure5 AccumulatedChilledWaterSavings
Figure6 TotalAccumulatedEnergyandCostSavings
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Electricity19%
ChilledWater8%
Space28%
CapitalEquip.&Maint.40%
Other5%
whenspacesavingsareexcludedaltogether.Further,theperiodrequiredtorecovertheinitialinvestmentintransferringsamplesonlylengthensbyoneyearwhenspaceisnotgivenamonetaryvalue.Whilespacechargesareaninternaltransfer,thevalueofspaceisanimportantconsideration,particularlywithcostofnewconstructionand,asstatedpreviously,thenumberoffacultyisexpectedtoincreasealongwiththepaceofsamplegeneration.
AdditionalBenefitReducingSampleRisk
BeyondthesignificantamountofspaceallocatedanddespitethehugeinvestmentStanfordmakeseveryyeartokeepbiologicalsamplesinafrozenenvironments,thesamplesthemselvesarecurrentlyatrisk.TheStanfordcollectionisvulnerabletocatastrophiceventssuchasearthquakes,firesandsevereweatheraswellasmoremundaneequipmentfailureandaccidents.Equipmentfailuresaresocommonthatinvestigatorsanddepartmentspurchaseexcessfreezercapacitytoaccommodateregulardisruptions.
Samplelossisnotonlyasetbacktoscience,butalsoamonetarylosstotheuniversity.Evenbeforeanyresearchisperformedbyscientists,clinicalsamplesneedtobeacquiredandtheacquisitioncostcanbesignificant.Clinicalsampleacquisitioncostsrangefrom$1,000persampleandcanreachashighas$10,000forsampleswithspecializedselectioncriteria.viiOncesamplesareacquiredandresearchcommences,theirvalueincreasesovertimeasnewanalysistechnologiesaredevelopedanddiscoveriesaremadeinaparticulardiseasearea.viiiBeyondtheenergyandcostsavings,movingvaluablesamplestoroomtemperaturewillhelpreducetheriskofsamplelossduetocatastrophiceventsandotherthreats.Usingcostsfromclinicalresearcherexperienceandanestimateofthenumberofclinicalsamplesofvarioustypes,theapproximatevalueoftheStanfordsamplecollectionbasedonthesampleacquisitioncostscouldbenearlythreebilliondollars(Table5).
Table5 EstimatedValueofStanfordSampleCollection
Valuepersample %ofcollection collectionvalue
$2,50010,000 1% $1.21Billion
$5002,500 9% $0.56Billion
$100500 40% $0.79Billion
$0100 50% $0.26Billion
Total 100% $2.82Billion
Figure7 CostSavingsbyCategory
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Summary
AnalysisoftheStanfordsamplecollectionthroughthepilotstudyrevealedthesubstantialamountofenergyandexpenserequiredtoprotectStanfordscurrentbiologicalsamplecollectionfromdegradationusing
freezers.Onacampuswidescaletheuniversitywillspend$68millionoverthenextdecadetomaintainand
addtoitsfreezercollectiontoprotectvaluablesamples,notincludingcoststobuildfreezerfarms.
ImplementationofroomtemperaturestorageacrosstheStanfordcampuscouldnotonlyreduceenergyconsumptionandgreenhousegasemissions,butalsosavemoney,conservevaluablelabspaceandreduce
disasterriskofthecurrentsamplecollection.
Benefitscouldbegintoaccrueimmediatelyascomparedtoprojectswithlongconstructiontimelinesthatneedtooccurbeforeasinglekilowatthourissaved.
Themagnitudeofcostsavingsisdependentontherateofadoption,aswellastheanticipatedsamplegenerationgrowthrate.
Inaddition,integrationofroomtemperaturestoragetechnologiesintocurrentresearchworkflowscouldreduceexpenseandriskofcoldtransportation.Itcouldalsoprovideacosteffectivesolutionforoffsite
backuptofurtherprotectvaluablesamplecollections.
RecommendationsforImplementation
Thebenefitsofroomtemperaturestoragearesignificant,andcapturingthemwillrequireacareful,wellthoughtoutstrategytoincreaseadoptionandremoveanyobstacles.Thepilotstudyandparticipatinglaboratoriesprovidedvaluableinsightsintothepotentialadoptionofabroadprogramaswellasobstaclesthatwouldneedtobeaddressedforsuccessfulimplementation.ManyofthemostimportantobservationsfromthepilottoguidethedesignanddevelopmentofanimplementationplanaredocumentedinTable6.
Observations CriticalSuccessFactors
Enthusiasticresponsefromresearchers Interestinsustainablestoragealternativesatalllevels
Labsareslowtotransfersamples Laborsupportneededforsuccessfulimplementation
Perceptionbyprincipalinvestigatorsthatenergyandcostsavingsbenefitthedepartment,notthelab
Needtoproperlyincentivizelabstosupportsampletransfer
Valueofsamplesishighandimportant Samplesareirreplaceablevalueisveryimportantandmuchhigherthanthecostofstorage
LargenumbersofDNAandRNAhousedatultralowtemperature
Manysamplesoncampuseligibleforroomtemperaturestorage
Frozenenvironmentsarehardtoworkin;locatingsamplesdifficult,frequentthawsputsamplesatrisk
Roomtemperaturestorageimprovesproductivityandflexibilityintheworkenvironment
Table6Pilotobservationsandconclusions
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TranslatingthepilotstudytoasuccessfulprogramwillrequireastrongcommitmentfromleadershipwithintheSchoolofMedicineandBiologyDepartmentaswellasasupportfromtheSustainabilityandEnergyManagementGroup.
NextSteps
Conductdetailedsurveyoflaboratorysamplecollectionsoncampus CollaboratewiththeSchoolofMedicineandBiologyDepartmenttoalignincentivesaswellasestablish
politicalsupportwithintheorganization
Understandhowsampletransfercanbetranslatedintofreezerpurchasereductionorshutoff Createappropriateincentivesfordepartments,principalinvestigatorsandindividualresearchersto
motivateadoption
Developprogramwithlargerservicelaboratoriesorcorefacilitiestofacilitateandsupportconsistentsampletransferandmanagement
Includeformalizedprocessfororganizationalchangetotakeadvantageofeasysampletransferandeducationopportunitiessuchasretiringprofessors,newhires,andpostdoctoralandPhDturnover
Provideconsistentinformationaroundprogramincentivesandbenefits,publishsuccessandestablishfeedbackmechanisms
IdentifyamanagerandstafftodevelopimplementationplanforlargescalesampletransferStudyScopeandLimitationsTheforecastinthisstudyprovidesanestimateofStanfordsbiologicalsamplecollectionbasedondataobtainedfromasubsetoftheentirepopulation.Whilethenumberofpilotlabsissufficienttoprovideanaccuratepredictionofthebenefitsandcostsofaroomtemperatureprogramtheydonotprovideastatisticalrandomsampleandaresubjecttoselectionbias.ThegroupisintendedtoprovideadiversesamplewhichcouldrepresenttheStanfordpopulationofresearchlaboratories.
Manyoftheassumptionsinthispredictionarebasedonconservativeassumptionsandthereforemayunderestimatethesavingspotentialofaroomtemperatureprogram.Studyresultsarebasedoncurrentlyavailabletechnologyandshouldbeupdatedasnewtechnologyenablesagreaternumberofsampletypestobestoredatroomtemperature.
Otherroomtemperaturestoragetechnologiesdoexist;however,thescopeofthispilotdidnotincludeevaluationoftheseproducts.Inordertoaccuratelyforecastthebenefitsofothertechnologies,additionalproductspecificinformationwouldbeneeded,includingtransferprotocolsandlabortime,productcosts,supportingequipmentcosts,storagesampleformatsandaddressablesampletypes.Duringthepilotstudymanybenefitswereuncoveredinadditiontothosegeneratedbymovingsamplesoutoffreezerswhichcouldbestudiedingreaterdepthtoquantifythesebenefitsingreatermeasure.
InformationInquiriesForfurtherinformationregardingthisstudypleasecontactGregJensenatjensen_greg@[email protected].
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AcknowledgementsThisreportisthecompilationofinsightsandexpertiseofmanypeopleincludingthoselistedbelow.InadditiontotheseindividualsseveralorganizationscontributedtotheinformationinthisreportincludingStanfordUniversitySchoolofMedicine,StanfordMapsandRecords,StanfordProcurement,andStanfordSustainabilityandEnergyManagement.ProjectLeadGregJensen,ManagementConsultant,SustainableBioVenturesStanfordSustainabilityandEnergyManagementSusanKulakowski,DemandSideEnergyManager,SustainabilityandEnergyManagement(StanfordLead)MikeGoff,DirectorofUtilities,SustainabilityandenergyManagementJoeStagner,ExecutiveDirector,SustainabilityandEnergyManagementStanfordSchoolofMedicineDr.DariaMochlyRosen,SeniorAssociateDeanforResearchJuliaTussing,AssociateDeanforEducationalPrograms&ServicesCathyBooth,LaboratoryManagementTimGadus,Space&AssetsManagerDonRust,HealthandSafetySpecialistJohnColler,StanfordFunctionalGenomicsFacilitySpecialthankstoJaimePerena,DataAnalysisExpert,SustainableBioVenturesforhisexpertiseandadvicedevelopingtheforecastmodeltoanalyzeandcharacterizetheeconomic,energyandenvironmentalbenefitsofroomtemperaturestoragetechnology.iStanfordPressRelease,September24,2008,Stanfordscoreshighforsustainabilityinnationalstudy,http://newsservice.stanford.edu/pr/2008/prcard092408.htmliiCathyBooth,LaboratoryManagement,MolecularandCellularPhysiologyDepartmentStanfordUniversityiiiTimGadus,SpaceandFacilities,StanfordSchoolofMedicineivDavidObrien,OfficeofInstitutionalPlanning,StanfordSchoolofMedicinevCroweJH,etal.,(1999).Ann.Rev.Physiol.1998;60:73103viDonRust,HealthandSafetyManagement,StanfordSchoolofMedicineviiPersonalconversation,Dr.JoachimHallmayer,PediatricPsychiatry,StanfordSchoolofMedicine,December12,2008viiiPersonalconversation,Dr.DavidHirschberg,DirectorHumanImmuneMonitoringCenter,StanfordSchoolofMedicine,December16,2008