Streamlining biological inventories propels science and protects the environment

Biology research generates samples of model organisms, whole cells, viruses, lysates, purified proteins, and nucleic acids that are stabilized in ultra-low temp freezers. These frozen stocks represent time, work, and scientific potential.  Over time these freezer stocks tend to accumulate. Research projects pivot, improved methodologies using different sample types emerge and scientists move on to new labs. Broadly speaking, a life science researcher labels a sample tube by hand and adds a note in a notebook referring to a shared freezer. When that scientist leaves the project, they do a formal hand-off to their supervisor. Freezer space fills up. Eventually accumulated freezer stocks can drag on scientific progress, waste lab resources, and put samples at risk. It can result in a nightmare situation.

Partha Krishnan, Head of EHS for a Sanofi Pasteur research hub, knew that improving lab cold storage was a huge, hidden advantage to laboratory efficiency. Sustainability experts have long pointed to wasted sample space and wasted energy in life science laboratory culture. Partha had previous experience working closely with Quentin Gilly and Adam Meier in Harvard University labs where the My Green Lab and I2SL Freezer Challenge was very successful. The hurdle was identifying the right strategy for each lab to be able to take action. It turned out that the key to succeeding in one of the toughest lab sustainability goals was a series of small, achievable changes.

Please enjoy learning how teamwork, data expertise, “atomic habits”, and a sense of humor, helped a Sanofi Pasteur vaccine research group to hit the bullseye in sustainable freezer management.

Interview with Partha Krishnan, Ph.D.

Why were you interested in the laboratory freezer project?

There are many hard-working research laboratories on our site. It’s not a manufacturing site so the opportunities to create a greener footprint are different. That’s part of why we started looking very closely at freezers. The freezers are a win-win scenario. It doesn’t require much investment to get an initiative off ground. Targeting lab freezers is an example of small changes equaling big gains. I read the book Atomic Habits, which explains perfectly how small daily changes compound into a big outcome. That’s how this project succeeded.

How did you raise awareness?

For our Earth Day event in 2018, I invited both Quentin Gilly and Adam from Harvard University to give a presentation. Later, they gave a really great talk at Harvard which I had invited all our scientists to. Seeing what’s possible motivated everyone. Harvard is an enormous, complex research institution.  If Harvard could do it, we knew we could do it. The next step was coming up with a strategy for the whole site. 

What were the scientists’ concerns about tackling lab freezer sustainability?

When I started talking with the scientists, we realized that there were two big roadblocks. 

Who would consolidate all the freezer inventories? There was a huge number of materials stored in freezers from over ten years of research. It overwhelmed people. Freezers were getting filled to the max. Over time the samples get caked in ice. This wasn’t a project that facilities or maintenance staff could handle. We couldn’t expect scientists working in labs ten hours a day to add a project of this magnitude on top of scientific work.

The second obstacle was the fear of sample loss. Sanofi is a global leader in healthcare headquartered in France. The fear was if we trash all these old samples, that have gone unused for years, what if a new infectious disease comes up that we need to make a vaccine for? Zika was the example at that time. No one had heard of Zika - until all of a sudden world events made it a research priority.  How could we know what we will need tomorrow?

The scientists made the challenges clear. For a long time, we were at a standstill.  It was the five hundred pound invisible gorilla in the room. It was a big problem hanging over our heads.

How did your group tackle freezer inventory consolidation?

It’s great to have an idea. The tough part is the nuts and bolts of putting the plan into action. For most labs, the role of the lab manager is phasing out. There is so much user-friendly technology, we all feel like we can do more with less. In our case, we contracted the Unity Lab Services (ULS) group to maintain our lab freezers. We were lucky to get someone as part of that service who had completely handled this type of project at Novartis. This was a guy who knew how to revamp lab freezer inventories.

We were all excited and then COVID hit. It seemed like the freezer project was doomed. ULS and Global Operations surprised us. They turned the pandemic into an advantage. Social distancing and low occupancy numbers provided the space to look at the samples, talk to scientists and move samples around to other freezers.

In parallel, we were extremely lucky to get a person dedicated to sample management and inventory on-site. Their sole responsibility was creating a new inventory management system that was set up with the right features. This person had a unique background with a master’s degree in information systems management from Emmanuel College. Here is a good example of how one or two people can act as catalysts to drive a big change.

So an inventory person, a digital organizer, and the biologists worked together?

Yes, as well as two site heads who provided confidence to scientific staff by confirming decisions. We broke down the process into small daily meetings with groups of scientists to find out what samples were, and how often they were used. Surfacing all the freezer stocks for scientists to review eliminated the fear of loss. I worked almost like an orchestra conductor to support everyone in the process.

Do you think it helped that it helped that you are responsible for lab safety?

Definitely. There was also solid leadership from the heads of the site. Sanofi has a new building that will bring in all the R&D labs in Massachusetts. The plan is to get down from about 800 freezers to 200 freezers in the building. Our energy provider, Eversource, cut us a check through a program to pay for consolidating lab freezers and upgrading to Energy Star which was a good positive feedback loop for the scientists. With support from above, at the lab level, and outside, I was able to take the project and run with it.

Can you share any tips for engagement in the initiative?

We gave the whole process a fun atmosphere. We named each freezer after a Simpsons character. Everyone really responded. We provided pizza and lunch boxes for cleanouts during pre-COVID times. It was great to “Spark Joy” with a lab freezer cleanout or join a meeting to look at “Mr. Burns”. Breaking down the process into achievable actions with teamwork was helpful.

How did My Green Lab help?

When I set up meetings with stakeholders for this initiative, I used resources from My Green Lab. They provided really nice benchmark studies on freezer initiatives at big institutions plus useful peer-reviewed publications. They showed us that there was full support by freezer manufacturers. Eppendorf, for example completely vouched for the integrity of this program. Hearing that from the freezer manufacturer bolstered our confidence to “Chill up” to -70C. Our stocks are stable, organized and our energy use is just right. It’s funny because I recently saw an ad for a -90C lab freezer. It seems like the capacity to go ever colder is a marketing gimmick.

That is funny! What was the outcome for the labs?

There was a synergistic effect. Within one month we were able to completely free up emergency freezer space and had set up a freezer maintenance game plan. Samples used less often were either trashed or will be moved to remote locations. We consolidated eight existing freezers and replaced them with six energy-efficient new lab freezers. All the UTL stocks except RNA are now at -70C storage. Going forward that will save energy and scientific resources. The location of freezer stocks is much more organized and accessible. It was a great success for everyone in our research labs.

What was the number one factor to this success story?

My advice is that tiny changes applied consistently over time will achieve the big goal. Do not expect success overnight. Make changes slowly to understand the problem. Persistently stay the course. Use the concept of atomic habits.

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