Scientists at Newcastle University are using the Testo Saveris 2 to ensure that precious research does not fall victim to temperature changes in their freezers.
The university’s Institute of Cellular Medicine is home to more than 270 staff, including academic members, researchers, technical staff and postgraduate students. Focusing on cutting edge medical research, the Institute explores the basis of disease, the development of new methods for diagnosis and treatment and assessing the impact of new treatments in practice.
Maintains correct temperatures in such a facility is vital as failure can result in the loss of years of work and investment. Effective monitoring also maintains a detailed record which is crucial to meet UKAS requirements, and helps laboratories provide proof of due-diligence when it comes to audits.
Lee Reed, laboratory manager for Newcastle University’s fibrosis research group explained that the failure of their old system, mainly due to connection issues and lack of support, meant that new solutions for freezer security had to be explored. He said: “Testo Saveris 2 covered all bases of what was required for a freezer monitoring system for this institute, providing an economical and robust alert system that we could tailor to our needs.”
Testo Saveris 2 allows automated temperature measurements, storing and collating data in one central, secure place. Reports can be set up to be sent automatically via email, SMS or App. Using the wide range of available probes, temperatures can be monitoring as low as -195°C, with as the option to monitor relative humidity. The monitor works with WPA2 Enterprise networks if required.
The Institute of Cellular Medicine has many locations across the Newcastle University Medical School. It has more than 50 -80°C freezers, all of which need to be monitored. Testo recommended its testo Saveris 2 T3 with an exceptionally fast temperature probe. Featuring two channels, the T3 can monitor two freezers, providing the measuring points are close enough (within approximately 4 metres).
Reed continued: “Testo have been great to deal with. The support we have received from the team at Testo and SLS (Scientific Laboratory Supplies) has been great. The troubleshooting advice has been robust and helped to address the issues we have found.”
One of the biggest advantages for Newcastle University has been the automated alarm function, which has prevented the loss of valuable research samples. “The system has already alerted us to some freezer breakdowns allowing us to respond quickly and decant into reserve freezers and save samples that would have previously been lost. The ease of use of the system allows monitoring to take place 24 hours a day saving staff having to manually check on freezers. Testo have supplied us with a robust and trustworthy monitoring system that supports all our needs and more.”
Key advantages of testo Saveris 2 for laboratory monitoring:
• Alarm function for peace of mind and protection of research
• Resource saving through automated monitoring and reports
• Proof of due-diligence for UKAS audits
• Flexible system to incorporate all measurement points
To download the full PDF case study please click here.
