Guest Commentator: Emily Dolbow, Executive Director, GenVault @GenVault
While the pandemic has accelerated the demand for cold storage, what are some of the challenges of entering the cold storage market right now?
Planning and budgeting the expansion of a biorepository during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 has not been without challenge due to the popularization of cold storage operations. How does a team manage to acquire resources where there are slim to none?
Logistic support of drug discovery research through global network coordination was harder to explain prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, most people understand the importance and challenges of cold chain logistics. The pandemic has brought this service to a deserving light. It can be difficult to understand the relationship between off-site cold storage and laboratory production. At GenVault, we enable researchers to have more lab space, trusting that their samples are safe off-site and readily available.
Samples currently stored without proper identification or evaluation utilize valuable cold storage space better suited for active storage. Overall, the removal of archived material frees up needed laboratory space.
Not only is laboratory space at a premium due to low inventory and high demand, but the price and lead time for procurement of equipment have also increased. A visionary company may have the skills and a detailed action plan but now in this COVID environment, essential resources are limited.
Current state
Change control equation shows cause of frustration is lack of resources
Vision+ Incentive+ Skills+ Action Plan (-Resources) = FRUSTRATION
As research was accelerated to produce a vaccine, the supply chain was stressed and has not yet recovered. Demand for equipment is at an all-time high. For example, cryovials are back-ordered for months. With the release of the Pfizer vaccine and focus on -80 Ultra-Low Freezers, it is still difficult to get freezers shipped. What typically takes a few weeks, a delay of 24 weeks was experienced to deliver the most recent shipment of -80°C freezers to GenVault. Vials that would come overnight now take months.
The cost has stayed consistent due to long-standing relationships with primary vendors, but there are reports of other labs bidding well over market price for -80°C freezers. Additional monitoring equipment was validated and installed without delay due to an established relationship with an esteemed supplier.
Space limitations
Start-up companies have limited capital but need more space as they grow. Estimates of growth predict a need for 1.7 million square feet of lab space from 2021-2023. The average cost to design and build a lab-ready building is $550/square foot. To compare, office space is only about $40/square foot. Notably, the most expensive building in Philadelphia was sold for $600/square foot. There is no space and people like space (at least six feet).
Future Expectations
Material management including vaccine, retains, samples, and lab supplies will be outsourced to increase capacity and reduce costs. Disaster recovery will be a constant discussion with a focus on power and mechanical failure in every lab as well as potential exhaustion on essential supplies. With the first round of vaccinations coming to an end, storage for annual booster will be possible off-site at facilities such as GenVault which is prepared, fully equipped, accurate, safe, measured, and accountable, always striving to improve!
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