How low can you go?!

This is the question we asked our VWR Rep when we started our search for a new -80 Freezer. Well, okay, maybe not, but the cool (ha ha) new -80 FREEZER that just arrived in the lab can go way below freezing, the key feature we need to safely store our bacterial cell lines and yeast samples. We are beyond excited to add this awesome piece of equipment to SoundBio Lab! As with everything, we had quite the experience 1) getting it to the lab and 2) getting it into position, but we can safely say that it's ready to be plugged in soon.

After reviewing our options and considering a variety of units, we eventually decided upon the Model SU105UE Ultra-low Temperature Undercounter Freezer by Stirling Ultracold. What we liked:

Low energy consumption, <4kWh/day @ -80 --> no crazy electrical bills!
Small, under the bench footprint --> it fits!
Plugs into any basic outlet --> wont fry our electrical grid!
3.7 cu.ft --> can store almost 100 standard freezer boxes!
100% natural refrigerants --> sounds good! :)
Cheap(er) shipping --> we are a non-profit!

So, if you aren't familiar with freezing cell lines (sometimes referred to as cryopreservation), having a -80 is key to maintaining cell viability. Different cell lines prefer different freezing medium, but in general, some kind of croyprotective agent such as DMSO or glycerol needs to be used. There are many protocols out there - so we'll have to do some testing to see what works best for us.

Next step: Hit up the UW Surplus store and stack up (ha ha) on some freezer boxes and cryotubes. We'll keep you posted when we are ready to plug it in.