Lab Business July/Aug 2016

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LAB SAFETY Top 5 hazards

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THE DEFINITIVE SOURCE FOR LAB PRODUCTS, NEWS AND DEVELOPMENTS

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City joins life sciences incubator network

July/August 2016

Work smarter, not harder

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JLABS @ Toronto

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CONTENTS 10

SPACE TO GROW

TOP 5 LAB HAZARDS

BY MARK SANER

BY HERMIONE WILSON

Five ways to avoid severe injuries in the lab.

Optimizing the lab for greater efficiency.

Johnson & Johnson brings its no-strings-attached life sciences incubator, JLABS, to Toronto.

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STANDARDS GUEST editorial 5 CANADIAN news 6 LAB ware 20 TECH watch 22 MOMENTS in time 23

LEAN LAB CHECKLIST

BY METTLER TOLEDO WITH ERWIN STUDER

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Do the flip!

to learn about Canada’s commitment to advancements in steam cells.

RegionaL PRofiLe

Thailand looks to grow life sciences, commercialize products for export 8

Law

It’s a complicated question: Are stem cells patentable?

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JULY/AUGUST 2016

moments in time

Not all acute myeloid leukemia cells are created equal 23

july/AugusT 2016

lean lab

lab Safety Top 5 hazards

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The DefiniTive Source for Lab ProDucTS, newS anD DeveLoPmenTS

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Championing the Business of Biotechnology in Canada

ON TWITTER AT @biolabmag

the

promise canada invests in stem ceLLs

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SUZUKI matters

City joins life sciences incubator network

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Robert Price

fter his stroke in 2014, Gordie Howe, the hockey legend who died in June at the age of 88, flew to Mexico to have himself injected with stem cells. According to media reports, Howe’s health improved enough following the injections for him to make a public appearance.

Howe is one of the more notable people who sought stem cell treatment outside Canada. To read reports about medical tourism, one might assume the experimental treatments happening in other parts of the world are the salvation the sick and dying hope for. We might have similar luck dipping a toe into holy water. Both are faith healing.

The latest alert about stem cell therapies – specifically the for-profit sort – came via an analysis of therapies available in the U.S. In plain English, the analysis, published in Cell Stem Cell this year, found that clinics (profiteers) sell unapproved stem cell therapies (snake oil) directly to consumers (the sick and dying and those wanting their youth back) without much regard for how such products harm patients or misrepresent the science.

The treatments fall outside the boundaries of what’s been approved, but these clinics continue to operate, unimpeded by regulation, the Hippocratic Oath, and, one presumes, conscience. U.S. regulators, the authors say, need to intervene in the market before anybody else gets hurt.

While many cosmetic stem cell therapies are certifiably useless, some experimental therapies have caused damage to desperate patients. The story that sets my stomach tossing is one about the woman who had unfiltered bone marrow stem cells injected into her brain. She had a stroke and died.

A cursory review of stem cell treatments available in the U.S. reads like a what’s-what of healing: better sight, better memory, stronger muscles, more limber joints, smoother complexion, stronger heart, bigger breasts. I count myself fortunate to have not needed a miracle cure. If I am diagnosed with cancer, Alzheimer’s, a stroke, heart disease, or any other life-altering or life-ending disease, I might be in desperate enough circumstances to surf the web for a state-of-the-art technology – like the magic stem cell therapies some are selling – to save my life. Who wouldn’t? Hope is a volatile material. Hope can make even cool, logic-bound people take hot-tempered, illogical measures.

Given how profiteers sell direct-to-consumer therapies available in the States (that’s the nice word for what these doctors offer), why hasn’t the U.S. government shut down these questionable clinics? With 50,000 of us travelling south each year for medical care, this isn’t a question Canadians should ask out of concern for our neighbours.

No doubt, stem cells therapies have great potential, and as a technology, stem cells may make life better for many people. But we’re not there yet. (Sorry, but positive testimony from patients who have paid tens of thousands of dollars for therapies doesn’t count.)

Until we do get there, we need regulators to move quickly and act dispassionately when determining what therapies are efficacious and safe – to be level-headed when we’re not. With a field as complex and novel as stem cell research, oversight is more essential than ever.

That happens at the governmental level, far beyond reach of most of us. Individually, we can eliminate words like “cure” and “miracle” from our vocabularies, at least when we speak about medicine and science. I direct this injunction primarily at my colleagues in the media who cannot help themselves from grasping for an exclamatory headline. We might also ask for cautious language from lobby groups and hopeful others who usually see miracles in each new scientific development.

And scientists working in the field? They’re taught to speak carefully. Most do. It’s the shameless quacks, the profiteers and egotists who peddle premature, ill-conceived, and fraudulent therapies who need to be questioned by those who can ask the best questions: their colleagues. This is an instance when professional regulating bodies have a role to play in keeping patients safe from faith healers who call themselves doctors.

Robert Price is the former Managing Editor of this publication. Follow him @pricerobertg. www.labbusinessmag.com

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Canadian NEWS Brock University researchers investigate ancient air

Canadian government funds research of northern pollutants The Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs recently announced 53 projects that have been chosen as recipients of this year’s Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) research funding. In an effort to better understand contaminant levels in traditionally harvested foods that are important to the diet of indigenous people and northerners, the NCP funds research projects that are guided by both scientific and traditional knowledge.

Through the NCP, Canadian scientists are able to monitor levels of pollutants and assess their effects on the health of Arctic ecosystems and the communities who depend on them.

Minister Marc Garneau visits Université de Montreal

Brock University professor Nigel Blamey built a machine to read and analyze trapped fossil gasses.

W

e now know what the average oxygen content of Earth’s atmosphere was over a billion years ago. Until now, scientists estimated that oxygen comprised no more than two per cent of Earth’s atmosphere 800 million to one billion years ago. However, a Brock University-led international research team found that the average oxygen content of the Earth’s atmosphere was actually 10.9 per cent, more than five times greater than previously thought and about half of today’s oxygen level.

The research team came to this conclusion when it discovered a way of A Brock University-led tapping into the actual air that existed international research team found that the average oxygen content of almost a billion years ago. Nigel Blamey, the Earth’s atmosphere was Professor of Earth Sciences at Brock, actually 10.9 per cent, more than used a custom-built machine to crush samples of halite, which is the natural five times greater than previously form of table salt. Within the halite thought and about half of today’s samples are tiny bubbles that contain oxygen level. atmospheric gasses that were trapped in the rocks at the time they formed. The bubbles were too small to measure until now but his equipment was able to read and analyze the trapped fossil gasses.

This new approach, and the subsequent findings, have huge implications for theories on the development of life on Earth, say the researchers. Scientists’ understanding of Earth’s early life forms are based in part on the amount of oxygen believed to be in the atmosphere at that time. According to the study the team published in Geology, “Deciphering the oxygenation history of the atmosphere and oceans is critical to understanding weathering processes, sedimentary environments, climate change, mass extinctions, tectonic events, and the evolution of Earth’s biota.”

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July/August 2016 LAB BUSINESS

Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport and Member of Parliament for NDG/ Westmount, recently paid a visit to the Université de Montreal, upon the invitation of researchers from his riding.

Garneau toured some of the university’s laboratories and scientific platforms and participated in discussions about the advancement of cancer treatments and the importance of fundamental research and issues pertaining to its financing.

The invitation was extended to Garneau by researchers from the Institute of Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC).

Metrohm hosts KF analysis seminars Metrohm USA will be hosting a series of seminars in 16 cities across Canada and the U.S. dedicated to Karl Fischer (KF) analysis. The half-day seminars are designed to cater to anyone from a laboratory measuring moisture or water content or for those who are currently using other techniques for moisture analysis and would like to learn about KF techniques. The seminar program will feature technical information about KF, case studies and Q&A sessions to help scientists make more confident moisture measurements. Toronto and Montreal dates are in November.

Worldwide NEWS New, inexpensive imaging platform could revolutionize the microscope

Big potential for nano coating market Experts are predicting considerable growth prospects for the nano technology sector in the next several years, particularly the antibacterial nano coatings segment. In a business report of “Global Industry Analysts,” analysts calculated a worldwide market value of $3.8 billion up to the year 2020 for antibacterial nano coatings. This is good news for Nanopool, a German manufacturer of high-performance coating systems which holds the patent for antimicrobial surface protection systems until 2027, giving it a monopoly in Europe.

Merck collaborates with China on new PCR technology

Shubra Gangopadhyay recently published studies outlining a new, relatively inexpensive imaging platform that enables single molecule imaging.

A

team of engineers, biologists, and chemists at the University of Missouri have given the humble microscope an upgrade. The research team, led by electrical and computer engineer Shubra Gangopadhyay, recently published a study outlining a new, relatively inexpensive imaging platform that enables single molecule imaging.

The team’s custom platform uses an interaction between light and the surface of the metal grating to generate surface plasmon resonance (SPR), a rapidly developing imaging technique that enables super-resolution imaging down to 65 nanometers – a resolution normally reserved for electron microscopes. Using HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs as starting templates, a repeating grating Using HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs pattern is transferred onto as starting templates, a repeating the microscope slides where grating pattern is transferred onto the specimen will be placed. the microscope slides where the Since the patterns originate specimen will be placed. Since the a widely used technology, the patterns originate a widely used manufacturing process remains technology, the manufacturing relatively inexpensive. process remains relatively “Usually, scientists have to inexpensive. use very expensive microscopes to image at the sub-microscopic level,” Gangopadhyay says. “The techniques we’ve established help to produce enhanced imaging results with ordinary microscopes. The relatively low production cost for the platform also means it could be used to detect a wide variety of diseases, particularly in developing countries.”

“Plasmonic gratings with nano-protrusions made by glancing angle deposition (GLAD) for single-molecule super-resolution imaging” was published in Nanoscale, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The National Science Foundation provided partial funding for the studies.

Merck recently announced its new collaboration agreement with Chinese company Amoy Diagnostics for the development and commercialization of a new liquid biopsy RAS biomarker test for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The test will be developed using AmoyDx real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, ADxSuperARMS, and will be made available in China in 2017. The ADx-SuperARMS (AmoyDxSuper-Amplification-Refractory Mutation System) technology is designed to support clinical practice in performing specific genemutation analysis.

A new way to polymerise synthetic nucleotides Researchers from the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) have developed novel enzymes capable of polymerising synthetic nucleotides with the help of dolomite microfluidic chips. Using the chips, the team created a droplet-based optical polymerase sorting (DrOPS) technique allowing rapid screening for novel polymerase activities in uniform water-in-oil microcompartments. The DrOPS methodology has significant advantages over traditional methods, which are both labourintensive and impractical to perform on a large scale due to the amount of precious artificial nucleotide reagents required for screening.

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Suzuki MATTERS

BY DAVID SUZUKI WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM IAN HANINGTON

Feeding Humanity in a

Warming World C

Dr. David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author, and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.

Ian Hanington is Senior Editor, David Suzuki Foundation.

Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

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alculating farming’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is difficult, but experts agree that feeding the world’s people has tremendous climate and environmental impacts. Estimates of global emissions from farms range widely. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency puts them at 24 per cent, including deforestation, making agriculture the secondlargest emitter after heat and electricity.

Agriculture contributes to global warming in a number of ways. Methane and nitrous oxide, which are more potent than CO2 but remain in the atmosphere for shorter times, make up about 65 per cent of agricultural emissions. Methane comes mainly from cattle and nitrous oxide from fertilizers and wastes. According to the World Resources Institute, “Smaller sources include manure management, rice cultivation, field burning of crop residues, and fuel use on farms.” Net emissions are also created when forests and wetlands are cleared for farming, as these “carbon sinks” usually absorb and store more carbon than the farms that replace them. Transporting and processing agricultural products also contribute to global warming.

We need to eat. So what's the answer? That obesity is epidemic in parts of the world while people starve elsewhere, and that an estimated one-

July/August 2016 LAB BUSINESS

third of food gets wasted, shows improving distribution and reducing waste are good places to start – but won’t be enough to significantly curtail agriculture’s contribution to climate change.

Reducing meat and animal-product consumption and production – especially beef – would cut emissions, but wouldn’t get us all the way.

Some suggest finding better ways to feed as many as nine billion people by 2050 means rethinking our agricultural systems. Industrial agriculture has made it possible to produce large amounts of food efficiently, but comes with problems, including pollution, reduced biodiversity, pesticide resistance and consequent increased chemical use, destruction of forests and wetlands, and human health issues such as antibiotic resistance. Soil loss and degradation, increased drought and flooding and changing growing patterns caused by climate change add to the complexity.

Some say the best fix is genetic modification – to produce more nutritious plants that can withstand pests and a changing climate. Others note that when humans try to improve on or override nature, the outcome is often not what was expected. And a U.S. National Academies of Science report concludes, “GMO crops have not, to date, increased actual yields.” Failing to recognize that everything in nature is interconnected has led to numerous unintended consequences, from DDT causing bird deaths and toxic buildup in the food chain to widespread antibiotic use facilitating the evolution of “superbugs”.

The growing field of agroecology – working with nature – is one solution. Many researchers argue it’s more efficient, less environmentally damaging and more equitable for farmers and local communities than industrial methods and GMOs. The goal, writes University of CaliforniaBerkeley agroecology professor Miguel Altieri, “is to design an agroecosystem that mimics the structure and function of local natural ecosystems; that is, a system with high species diversity and a biologically active soil, one that promotes natural pest control, nutrient recycling and high soil cover to prevent resource losses.”

A study by the Rodale Institute, a research organization devoted to organic farming, concluded global adoption of agroecological practices such as “cover crops, compost, crop rotation and reduced tillage” could “sequester more carbon than is currently emitted.”

A STUDY BY THE RODALE INSTITUTE, A RESEARCH ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO ORGANIC FARMING, CONCLUDED

global adoption of agroecological practices

About 40 per cent of Earth’s land surface is used for agriculture, entailing massive geophysical alteration, so working with nature as much as possible to SUCH AS “COVER CROPS, COMPOST, CROP ROTATION AND REDUCED TILLAGE” maintain or restore balance to natural COULD “SEQUESTER MORE CARBON THAN IS CURRENTLY EMITTED.” systems makes sense. Agroecology appears to be a better way to feed humanity than doubling down on industrial agricultural, production where the hungry live – especially in unfavourable from many angles: reducing pollution and chemical use, environments.” He further notes, “agroecological projects have enhancing rather than degrading soils, increasing biodiversity, shown an average crop yield increase of 80% in 57 developing protecting water, growing healthier food and creating more countries, with an average increase of 116% for all African equitable food systems. projects.”

In This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein quotes former UN We are part of nature, so harming it hurts us. The planet Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter: “Today’s provides resources to feed us. We must learn to use them scientific evidence demonstrates that agroecological methods sustainably. LB outperform the use of chemical fertilizers in boosting food

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Lab PROFILE

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July/August 2016 LAB BUSINESS

G RO SPACE TO

JOHNSON & JOHNSON GIVES TORONTO LIFE SCIENCE STARTUPS A LEG UP

STORY BY

Hermione Wilson

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Lab PROFILE

T

he event space and lounge at JLABS @Toronto resembles an ultra modern living room, stylishly decorated in purple and orange. Not exactly what you’d expect to see in a 40,000-sq. ft. life sciences incubator, but the lounge is just the beginning. The rest of the facility is made up of shared office and laboratory space that includes a chemical lab, biology labs, tissue culture and private cell culture facilities, a device and digital prototype lab, and a concept lab.

JLABS @ Toronto is the brainchild of Johnson & Johnson Innovation and the sixth of its kind. The other five JLABS locations are scattered throughout the U.S., in San Diego, San Francisco (two), Boston and Houston. Altogether, the JLABS facilities can house a total of 225 resident companies. The Toronto location, in its facility on the 13th floor of the west tower at the MaRS Discovery District building, has the capacity to house up to 50 startups. JLABS @Toronto officially opened on May 11 with 22 companies. That’s the most companies JLABS has had at an opening, says Melinda Richter, Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS, and there is space for about 28 more.

“These 22 companies went through a whole variety of experts across Johnson & Johnson to get selected to be here,” Richter says. “Our experts had to be excited about the potential of these companies before they could get accepted.”

Of that first cohort of 22 startups, seven are winners of the JLABS @ Toronto Quick Fire Challenge. The award recognized

Media Wall & Portal Reception, Global Connect & Credo Event Space & Lounge

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promising early-stage innovation companies. AVROBIO is one of the seven, a company that blossomed at the University Health Network in Toronto in 2015, fertilized by new ex vivo gene therapy research.

An increasing body of evidence shows that ex vivo gene therapy provides long-term results, says President and CEO Geoff Mackay. “AVROBIO was a company that formed to pull in a lot of the management, clinical science, manufacturing experts in the field.”

The company will soon begin recruiting acute myeloid leukemia patients for clinical trials it is conducting at Princess Margaret Hospital. The patients, who are in remission due to chemotherapy treatment and are not eligible for a bone marrow transplant, will be recipients of AVROBIO’s unique ex vivo gene therapy approach.

“We transduce the cancer cells with a lentiviral vector to express a cytocline called IL12, a potent anti-cancer cytocline,” Mackay says. “Once we transfect these cells with IL12, we infuse them back [into the patient].” The idea, he says, is to flag cancer cells so that the patient’s own immune system will recognize and destroy them.

“It’s like turning on the light. Your own immune system usually allows cancer to exist because it doesn’t know that it needs to kill it,” Mackay says. “This gene therapy approach is a way to flag the cancer to allow your own immune system to eradicate it.”

Tissue Culture & Private Cell Culture Facilities Bio Labs Private Offices

Admin Area

Chem Lab and Services Alcove

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Concept Lab

Prototype Lab

July/August 2016 LAB BUSINESS

Event space and lounge at JLABS @ Toronto.

Lab PROFILE Proximity to its clinical trials was part of the reason AVROBIO wanted to put down roots in Toronto. At JLABS @ Toronto, the startup is close to its founding scientists at UHN. The company also has offices in Cambridge, MA. “A lot of the science and innovation is happening in Toronto,” Mackay says. “We could have found labs anywhere, but the idea of being embedded in that innovation district in Toronto, a few minutes’ walk from our scientific founders, a few minutes’ walk from where the clinical studies are taking place, and also from where our process development work is happening, is just ideal.”

Ketogen Pharma is another resident of JLABS @ Toronto with ties to the city. Its work began with University of Toronto researcher Dr. McIntyre Burnham. Burnham has done more than 30 years of research on the effects of the ketogen diet on epilepsy. The strict diet is based on high-fat, low-carb intake, which prompts the body to produce molecules called ketones that have an anti-convulsant effect.

Unfortunately, the ketogen diet is unappetizing and tends to have low patient compliance. Conversely, traditional antiseizure medications used to treat epilepsy have serious and significant side effects. Burnham was looking for an approach that would marry the ketogen diet with anti-convulsant medication and Ketogen Pharma was incorporated in 2011 to develop and commercialize the approach.

The startup’s mission is to develop “novel, safe and more effective therapeutics of brain disorders,” says Laurent Balenci, CEO, Ketogen Pharma. The company’s current focus is patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and it hopes that being part of JLABS will facilitate greater access to patients. Johnson & Johnson has been in the therapeutics space for some time now, Balenci says, adding, “They know how to run proper clinical trials, they have access to patients because they’ve been working with key opinion leaders, clinicians, they’ve been collaborating with hospitals, so it’s an incentive for us to be there and benefit from all this help.”

JLABS will be a catalyst for the life sciences in Toronto, predicts Tom Cirrito, Co-founder and CEO of Biotagenics. The startup, founded in 2015, represents the development phase of research project studying what the gut microbiome of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can tell us about the condition and how to manage it.

Biotagenics’ three scientific co-founders, based at the University of Ottawa and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, won a research grant from Genome Canada to study the microbiome of IBD patients in 2011. “As a component of that grant, one of the things that Genome Canada wants to see is a translational component, meaning some way for the research that the grant is funding to turn into diagnostics and therapeutics that change or help patient care,” Cirrito says. The researchers reached out to Ali Riazi, who later became COO and President of Biotagenics, because of his experience with a single domain recombinant antibody technology that has particular applications in the gut.

The Genome Canada grant funded an ongoing clinical trial involving more than 400 children at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the development of a therapeutics platform Biotagenics is now ready to develop. “The Ottawa group is collecting samples from these kids, discovering targets and then

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne (top) and Toronto Mayor John Tory (middle) speak at the official opening of JLABS @ Toronto.

Bottom: 3D printer at JLABS @ Toronto facility.

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Lab PROFILE R&D teams have. At JLABS @ Toronto, startups will have access with those targets, we’re going to develop therapeutics for them to state-of-the-art equipment, an operations team that takes at the JLABS facility,” Cirrito says. That development will be care of day-to-day lab maintenance, and the advice of an directed by Riazi. experienced business services team.

“The biggest component for us is that Dr. Riazi gets to be in a Richter speaks excitedly about the JLABS @ Toronto’s other community of like-minded people,” Cirrito says. “Being in that features: 3-D printing equipment, a video teleconference room supportive environment where you can bounce ideas off of called the Space Pod where clients can connect with anyone in people, you can listen to what other people are saying, you can the world, individual wet lab and dry lab office modules as small talk to people about things, you can borrow a reagent if you need as a five-foot work bench “where literally you can... get a company it, that’s a very unique feature of being in an incubator space like off the ground, or you can grow up to 5,000-sq. ft.” this.”

Access to IBM Watson’s cognitive business technologies and Lab space and high tech equipment aside, that is what sets the Bluemix cloud-based development platform is also included, JLABS @ Toronto apart: the opportunity for early-stage life Richter adds. science companies to mingle with each other and cross-pollinate All those resources go a long way to helping early-stage life ideas. “When you have a community of diverse participants like science companies get off the ground. As Cirrito puts it, “When that, that’s when you get those crazy ideas that no one has ever you’re a small company like us, not having to worry about things thought of before,” Richter says. All life science companies are like environmental safety, somebody else is handling that, welcome at JLABS, she says. J&J Innovation has a broad range somebody else is changing the liquid nitrogen on the liquid of portfolios of companies it looks at, including therapeutics, oncology, cardiovascular diseases, neuroscience, infectious diseases, vaccines, immunology, and metabolic OUR GOAL IS TO diseases. The company is also in the device space with robotic surgeries, orthopedics, diabetes, as well as the WE WANT TO RAISE THE QUALITY OF THE COMPANIES COMING OUT OF HERE consumer health space.

AND WE THINK EVERYONE IS GOING TO WIN. J&J Innovation has taken a no-stringsattached approach to its JLABS initiative, – Melinda Richter, Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS says Senior Director of Communications and External Affairs Leader, Meghan Marschall. nitrogen tank, changing the carbon dioxide tanks on the “Basically, [start-ups] pay a lease or a rent to be there but incubators. If we had to do all that, it would be another whole other than that we don’t have rights to their businesses, they’re person we would need to hire and every dollar counts when not obligated to do a deal with us,” Marschall says. Some do you’re an early stage company. Having that sort of collective choose to partner with J&J once they’ve been at JLABS for a infrastructure, our cash goes much further.” while, she says. She estimates J&J has inked deals with about a More than the millions of dollars worth of equipment and lab third of the JLABS companies. Some companies move on to resources, J&J offers Toronto’s life science community its make deals with other companies or move out when their connections and its ability to attract funders and granting funding allows them to expand. “Either they don’t get their agencies. “Our goal is to raise the bar across the board. We want funding and they move out or they get lots of funding and they to raise the quality of the companies coming out of here and we get too big for us and they move out in that circumstance,” think everyone is going to win,” Richter says.

Marschall says. “There’s absolutely no obligation for them, From its tower at MaRS Discovery District, with its partner there’s no percentage of the profit, there’s no right of first refusal hospitals and organization all no more than a block away, JLABS or any of that.” @Toronto is in a prime location. A microcosm of the Ontario J&J is based on the fundamental premise that great science healthcare system, Richter calls it. That’s one of the main and technology is just as likely to come from outside the walls of reasons J&J chose Toronto as its first Canadian JLABS location. a big company like J&J as it is to come from inside, Richter says.

“There’s definitely other hot talent in regions here in Canada,” “But when it’s out there, it faces many more hurdles to becoming says Richter, who herself grew up in Saskatchewan before a viable commercial entity.” emigrating to the U.S. She recalls a recent trip to Edmonton J&J has made it a mission to dismantle those hurdles, she where she was impressed by the interdisciplinary teams and says. Through the JLABS incubators it helps early-stage care conversion technology centres. “I think Canada is an companies get to the commercialization stage faster by providing exciting market. I think it’s going to have a major impact.” LB access to the same platforms and resources that J&J’s internal

raise the bar across the board.

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July/August 2016 LAB BUSINESS

Lab SAFETY

Top 5 Laboratory Hazards

STORY BY

Mark Saner

M

ore often than not, accidents in laboratories can be prevented and, with the proper precautions and by wearing the right personal protective equipment (PPE), severe injuries can often be avoided or minimized.

Following is a “Top 5” list of laboratory hazards.

1. FIRE/EXPLOSIONS In a laboratory, all chemicals and liquids should be treated as if they are as potent as gasoline. Vapours can travel long distances and may ignite if they reach a flame or spark. Keep a fire extinguisher on-hand and ensure each individual in the laboratory knows its exact location to prevent fires from spreading. The appropriate PPE, like a flame-resistant lab coat, should also be worn.

2. THERMAL AND CHEMICAL BURNS Many chemicals, both organic and inorganic, may be flammable and/or corrosive to the skin and eyes. It is important to exercise caution with chemicals to prevent spills and splashes.

Additionally, the correct PPE with chemical-splash protection should always be worn.

3. SKIN ABSORPTION OF CHEMICALS Keeping chemicals away from direct contact with the skin is fundamental in laboratory safety. Even if chemicals are not corrosive, exposure can cause allergic reactions or other problems if absorbed by the skin. Gloves may be permeable to certain chemical reagents – even without visible deterioration – so be sure to carefully trade out any gloves that have come into contact with such chemicals for a new pair immediately. Never

touch your face or eyes until your hands are clean of all chemicals or solvents. Wear a lab coat that can prevent chemicals from wicking through fabric to the wearer.

4. INHALATION OF TOXIC FUMES Many common solvents are extremely toxic if inhaled, and inhalation of certain chemicals can severely irritate membranes in the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. To reduce these risks, never evaporate excess solvents. Laboratory workers should also maintain a safe distance when pouring chemicals and make sure there is proper ventilation in the lab.

5. CUTS TO THE SKIN Cuts to the skin are one of the most common types of laboratory accidents. In severe cases, nerves and tendons may even be severed. Often, these injuries occur as a result of attempting to force a cork or rubber stopper into a piece of glass tubing, thermometer or distilling flask. To prevent this accident from occurring, workers should make a proper-sized hole, lubricate the cork or stopper, and use gentle pressure with rotation on the glass portion. LB

Mark Saner is FR Technical Manager at Workrite Uniform Company. He can be contacted at msaner@workrite.com or 1-800-521-1888.

Information for the list came from various sources – the most notable being Dartmouth College’s Chemistry Lab Safety Rules.

To help combat laboratory hazards, it is important to perform risk assessments, keep work areas clean, conduct regular inspections and ensure that employees wear the appropriate PPE. For more information on safety hazards and the role of clothing in workplace safety, visit www.frinformation.com. Workrite Uniform Company is a business-to-business (B2B) affiliate of Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company (“Dickies”), a global workwear brand.

For more information on Workrite Uniform, visit www.workrite.com.

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Application NOTE

Lean Lab T Checklist

he successful implementation of “Lean Manufacturing” in several fields has inspired many businesses to adopt this model in laboratories as well. Laboratories have different challenges compared to manufacturing environments; while most of the key principles of traditional “lean” still apply, there are many unique points to be adopted in laboratories.

Optimizing workplaces and workflows

The aim of this checklist is to give you an easy approach to help you develop your lab into a Lean Lab. Answering the simple checklist questions will give you: a) an overview of your current status and, b) where it might be worth taking actions to improve your lab.

Each section contains helpful tips on how to improve that particular aspect of your lab.

STORY BY

METTLER TOLEDO in collaboration with Erwin Studer (Profact AG, Switzerland)

Potential benefits of the Lean Lab approach • More defined, structured and controlled laboratory processes delivering more consistent and predictable laboratory performance • Significantly increased productivity • Reduced lead times • Reduced costs • Reduced levels of WIP (Work In Process) • Improved RFT (Right First Time) • A detailed understanding of lab capacity and resourcing requirements • Greater empowerment of laboratory personnel • A culture of proactive performance management and continuous improvement • Improved customer service levels Work smarter not harder!

Lean Lab is primarily an internal organization task for process optimization. The objective is to contribute to improving the economic efficiency of an organization. The operational changes that lead to a Lean Lab (which can be initiated in small steps,

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July/August 2016 LAB BUSINESS

Application NOTE

module-by-module, at any time) are as follows: the standardized operation of several different devices, optimized workplaces and work processes, modular device combinations, standardized network-compatible software, and competent services. Build a culture of continuous improvement to sustain business benefits, from the customer down to the analyst level, drawing on new and innovative ideas, and sustaining its impact with mindset and behaviour transformations across the laboratory. Below are some fields for improvement that are important for the Lean Lab concept.

Success is measured by the ‘Magic Triangle’. The three corners must be balanced.

2. Value Stream Mapping Are there target times for standard analyses?

Are the lead times measured?

Do you know the proportion of non-value adding but necessary steps in your workflow?

Do you know the proportion of non-value adding and unnecessary steps in your workflow?

Do you know the proportion of value added steps in your workflow?

TIPS FOR OPTIMIZATION • Calculate the standard times for standard analyses.

• Measure the lead time.

• Determine what the value added steps are in terms of whether ‘an external customer would pay for these steps in the workflow’.

• Employ assistants or external companies for auxiliary activities (such as dishwashing, producing rinse solutions, etc.).

3. Workload Is the workload distributed evenly over the days/week?

Is there a separate procedure for urgent jobs?

Is your workload coinciding with the previous phase (production) and are the deadlines in sync?

Are the agreed-upon deadlines being met?

1. Housekeeping

Can your employees find and fetch tools quickly and easily?

Are the workstations clean, tidy and designed for purpose?

Are the general laboratory tools stored in an orderly manner and are they easy to locate?

Do you audit these conditions regularly?

TIPS FOR OPTIMIZATION • Set laboratory service hours.

• Synchronize your workload with the previous phase.

• Set up an option for urgent analysis.

• Assign someone to distribute the samples according to the current capacity and urgency.

• Keep a workflow plan for the HPLC/GC. • Optimize the set-up times (eg. for HPLC or GC).

4. Laboratory Workflow

TIPS FOR OPTIMIZATION • Don’t accept untidiness.

• Look on every shelf and in every drawer.

• Start a 5S program. Everything in its place.

• 5S also works on hard drives (IT).

• Is everything in good order? Regular auditing is a must.

• Assign a supervisor for each area.

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17

Application NOTE Is the analytical equipment arranged in a logical sequence?

Is the analytical equipment consistently arranged according to technology?

Are the distances between individual steps in the workflow short and sensible?

Do the samples flow through the laboratory?

TIPS FOR OPTIMIZATION • Optimize the travel distance.

• Arrange your analytical equipment according to technology or in work cells; it may be necessary to change the layout of the laboratory.

• When you build a new laboratory, take the unique opportunity to apply Lean principles.

• Make sure that samples flow through the laboratory.

5. Performance Management Are the most important indicators such as OOS, RFT, etc. regularly determined and used to optimize processes?

Are the indicators analyzed, visualized and included in a report?

Can you report on productivity without investing additional time and effort?

Is the available laboratory capacity being managed effectively?

TIPS FOR OPTIMIZATION • Measure your KPIs. • Lead time is a possible KPI. • First pass rate is another.

• Visualize the KPIs. • Discuss KPIs regularly with your staff.

Is your most important equipment in top condition?

Are the present equipment capabilities and technologies adequate and regularly assessed?

Can calibration/qualification of the most important equipment be carried out efficiently?

Are replacement parts or important components managed properly?

Does the ease of operation match the level of competency and knowledge of the staff ?

TIPS FOR OPTIMIZATION • Perform regular maintenance on the equipment and avoid unplanned breakdowns.

• Make sure any necessary accessories are also stored on-site.

• Automate existing systems whenever possible (such as an autosampler and quicker data transfer).

• Reduce sources of contamination (such as water baths).

• Practice active obsolescence management.

7. Skills of Lab Personnel

6. Equipment

Is there an overview stating which employees can perform which activities at what level?

Is staff employment flexible enough?

Is enough time and money being spent on staff training?

TIPS FOR OPTIMIZATION • Keep skill matrices, not only stating yes/no, but including details on skill levels of each employee.

• Determine how many cross-skills are necessary.

• Make enough time and money available.

• Make regular fitness checks, for example, for HPLC. • Monitor unplanned absenteeism.

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July/August 2016 LAB BUSINESS

Application NOTE

8. Lab Chemicals/Auxiliary Material

Analysis and Feedback Count the number of questions you answered with a ‘Yes’ and add them up.

1-15 Are laboratory chemicals and other materials re-ordered systematically, immediately and without great expense?

Are the expiry dates of laboratory chemicals and reagents systematically checked?

Are the inventories of reagents and consumables managed effectively?

TIPS FOR OPTIMIZATION • Use an appropriate laboratory labeling system.

• Manage your materials using the KANBAN method.

• Avoid excessive inventories.

• Reduce the number of articles to be used.

Start a Lean project in your laboratory. Start with small steps. 5S is an effective way to start.

Assign a project leader who can dedicate approximately 20-50 % of their time to this project.

Analyses are also good to see where the greatest deficits lie.

16-28

You are on the right track, but there is still room for improvement. You may want to clarify the question of resources or assign priorities differently.

9. CIP Activities

29-35

Congratulations! Your lab is lean. Keep it up.

Continuous improvement and follow-ups are crucial.

Share your knowledge with your colleagues. Your efforts should be visible in terms of costs, quality and lead times.

Are systematic methods such as value flow analyses, CIP/ KAIZEN, etc. used for process improvement?

Is staff sufficiently involved in these processes?

Are there dedicated staff who have been trained in systematic process optimization?

TIPS FOR OPTIMIZATION • Train staff in root cause investigation methods.

• Motivate your employees to get involved with CIP/KAIZEN activities.

• Measure the progress.

• Be good to yourselves and talk about it. LB For more information about lean laboratories and lean production using METTLER TOLEDO solutions, visit: www.mt.com/global/en/home/campaigns/product-organizations/ labtec/2015/bw_msts_mt_103.html?cmp=als_lab-ms-efficiency

LIST OF ADVERTISERS & WEBSITES

Mandel Page 2 ......................................................................................................... www.mandel.ca Hanna Instruments Page 4 ................................................................................................ www.hannainst.com Mirvish Page 9 ..................................................................................................... www.mirvish.com Mottlab Page 21.................................................................................................. www.mottlab.com Canadian Food Business Page 22..................................................................... www.canadianfoodbusiness.com VWR Page 24...........................................................................................................www.vwr.com

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19

Lab WARE MANDEL SCIENTIFIC’S BEADBLASTER

24 completely lyses, grinds and homogenizes biological samples. The stainless steel tube carrier subjects up to 24 samples to a high speed 3D motion that produces high energy impacts between the samples and micro-beads to release cellular contents after homogenization, samples can be centrifuged and the supernatant collected for further processing. www.mandel.ca

SPECTROPHOTOMETER IS IDEAL FOR BASIC LAB MEASUREMENTS

Biochrom’s Novaspec III is the company’s latest addition to its Novaspec Visible Spectrophotometer range. The entry-level visible spectrophotometer performs single wavelength measurements of absorbance, per cent transmission, concentration and has the ability to perform simple kinetics. The spectrophotometer accepts standard 10 mm pathlength glass or disposable cuvettes.

Novaspec III is ideal for labs performing basic spectroscopy measurements. www.biocromspectros.com

FILTRATION SYSTEM OFFERS CONTAMINATION-FREE RESULTS

The Claristep filtration system from Sartorius enables up to eight samples to be simultaneously filtered without any power supply or a vacuum pressure source. Single-use Claristep filter units with RC membranes are designed for sample volumes of 60 µL to 600 µL. The units have been optimized for solvents and aqueous solutions and provide maximum chemical compatibility as well as low non-specific binding of analytes. The contact time of the samples with the filters and the caps is extremely short, ensuring optimal, contamination-free results. Filtrates are collected in any 12 × 32 mm outer diameter vials of the user’s choice based on the analytical method to be performed. www.sartorius.com

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July/August 2016 LAB BUSINESS

REFRACTOMETER SUITED TO COMPACT LAB SPACES

VACUUM INLET TRAP IDEAL FOR SMALL LABS

The MV PosiTrap Vacuum Inlet Traps are a line of user-customizable vacuum pump inlet and exhaust traps for labs using diaphragm pumps, dry piston and dry scroll pumps. The PosiTraps come in straight-through and right-angle designs with a wide selection of filter cartridges to protect vacuum pump fluid from being contaminated and prevent oil back-streaming. The devices are ideally suited for small manufacturing facilities. www.massvac.com

The Refractometer RA-620/600 from JM Science offers a solution for refractive index and brix measurements. The device is a compact size of 192 x 281 mm and features a user-friendly 4.7-inch colour LCD touch screen that clearly indicates measurements and other information. Data transfer to a computer is simple with the use of LAN and USB connectivity. The Refractometer RA-620/600 also comes with a variety of accessories including refractive index standard liquid, printers, software and sampling units. www.jmscience.com

Lab WARE SINGLE CHANNEL PUMP IS BUILT TO LAST

The Titan Syringe Pump by Syrris is a chemically resistant single channel pump that delivers ultra-smooth flow rates from 1 to 250 ml/min. The Titan Syringe Pump is constructed from long-life materials and operates at pressures up to 20 bar and viscosities up to 1,000 cP, delivering precisely controlled flow rates for extended periods. Removable cassettes allow straightforward servicing of syringes and enable seals to be rapidly changed with minimal tools required. A built-in backwash feature prolongs seal lifetime and maintains the cleanliness of pistons and cylinders, which also helps to prevent degradation of air-sensitive chemicals and protect users. www.syrris.com

NEW CARTRIDGE PACKS AVAILABLE FOR NANOPURE DIAMOND SYSTEM

LabStrong Corporation is now offering four different replacement cartridge packs for Thermo Scientific’s Barnstead NANOpure Diamond Systems. All packs are 100 per cent leak-free tested and meet ASTM Type I standards. The LabStrong cartridge packs allow users to generate ASTM Type I water that uses two types of activated carbon to absorb organic compounds and chlorine, and the highest purity semiconductor-grade ionexchange resins to remove final ionic contaminants. Each pack includes one 0.2 µm final filter and features installation instructions right on the label. www.labstrong.com

WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM ALLOWS REAL-TIME MONITORING

MilliporeSigma’s Elix High-Throughput water purification system has a capacity of 9000 litres. The system was designed to operate at the heart of a central water purification solution and provides authorized users with real-time remote monitoring via computer, tablet or smartphone, and access to important water quality data. www.emdgroup.com

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Moments in TIME

Saskatchewan’s

COBALT BOMB

Graduate student Sylvia Fedoruk with unit and patient.

Photo credit: University of Saskatchewan Archives

I

n 1951, researchers at the University of Saskatchewan were at the forefront of radiation treatment for cancer. Medical physicist Dr. Harold Johns and his graduate students became the first researchers in the world to successfully treat a cancer patient using the cobalt-60 “Bomb” machine. The cobalt-60 machine, which was designed by Johns, was powered by coin-like units of radioactive cobalt to achieve the precise level of radiation needed to target cancers deep in the body, a thing which had previously not been possible. LB

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