Case study – University of the Highlands and Islands

Reliable sample storage backs research

The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is an integrated, tertiary establishment with 10 colleges and research institutions spread around Inverness, the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Perthshire regions. The university’s Division of Biomedical Sciences conducts a broad spectrum of research, from schizophrenia genetics and immunology through to studies into melanoma and mesothelioma.

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Lab Manager, Janet Adamson, oversees several laboratories within the division, and her role includes ensuring the safe preservation of a wide range of diverse biological materials used across multiple long-term projects. Some of the most significant assets in the department include a decades-old library of samples from schizophrenia patients, developed in collaboration with Aberdeen University, as well as liquid biopsy samples linked to a multi-centre study for mesothelioma in conjunction with NHS Highland and NHS Bristol. All of the programmes within the division rely on the secure storage of blood, plasma, sputum, pleural effusions, cell lines, DNA extracts, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and standards used in analytical workflows.

UHI NEEDS:

Reliable -80 °C freezers for a wide variety of sample types
Long-term stability for irreplaceable clinical and research material
Robust equipment that copes with heavy daily use
Prompt technical support if issues arise

Cold Storage Under Pressure

The multiple UHI research groups rely on shared cold storage facilities, which puts the existing freezers under constant strain. This is especially important because many of the stored samples have been collected over decades, and any variations in temperature could potentially jeopardise ongoing research and compromise valuable donor-contributed material.

Janet explained: “Some of these samples were donated by people who are no longer with us, and we therefore take our responsibility very seriously. It is a real concern for us, and this is why we started to worry about the reliability of our existing freezers, especially with multiple researchers constantly opening and closing them.”

UHI had also previously used liquid nitrogen (LN2) for storing cell lines, but this became

increasingly impractical.

“We removed our LN2 vessels for safety and logistical reasons, as the IHU Inverness Campus is quite far north and transport can be difficult in winter,” Janet continued. “In winter it gets very snowy and, if the LN2 delivery couldn’t get through, we weren’t able to replenish the storage containers, so we decided that freezers were a much more practical option for us.”

A reliable solution for diverse research needs

With all of these factors in mind, UHI invested in several Haier Biomedical’s DW-86L728J -80 °C freezers to strengthen its cold storage capacity.*A key factor in choosing Haier Biomedical was independent recommendation from service engineers familiar with multiple brands,giving the team confidence that the units would perform consistently under heavy daily usage. The units now support the range of research activities and are accessed regularly. Janet described: Importantly, Haier Biomedical’s support has been prompt and effective. Janet added: This responsiveness reassured the team that help would be available whenever required, a critical requirement when safeguarding long-term research collections.

A dependable addition to UHI’s research infrastructure

Haier Biomedical’s ultra-low temperature freezers have strengthened UHI’s cold storage infrastructure, providing dependable performance for a wide variety of biomedical research programmes. The freezers support the secure preservation of irreplaceable patient-derived materials and day-to-day laboratory samples across multiple research groups.