stanford room temp pilot may09
DESCRIPTION
roomTRANSCRIPT
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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