In the clinical research pipeline, blood and tissue samples are taken from participating patients and then processed and stored at preanalytical clinical research laboratories before being shipped off for analysis.

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research Manchester Clinical Research Facility at The Christie is one of five clinical research laboratories that serve the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, which works together with The University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK.

Andrew Bennie, CRF Lab Manager at The Christie, explains that the facility processes all blood samples taken as part of clinical trials at the request of drug companies. The team receives, processes, ships and tracks the whole process.

One new area emerging in cancer research is the development of cancer vaccines. Through the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, people with cancer receiving treatment in the NHS can be assessed for eligibility to join cancer vaccine clinical trials.

The Christie is one of the hospitals involved in these trials. Cancer vaccines under investigation are based on messenger ribonucleic acid technology and are created by analysing a patient’s tumour to identify mutations specific to their own cancer.

Trials are highly changeable, and storage needs can differ significantly from one trial to the next. For example, one trial may require space for boxes, while another may need space for bags.

Equipment must also be eco-friendly, use less power, perform quietly and be easy to maintain.

The lab runs day and night and is in continual use. The requirements of the many different trials mean that adaptability is key.

For each active trial, the team follows a different protocol. Samples may need to be processed within 10 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour.

After reviewing their equipment and future-proofing requirements, the Manchester CRF at The Christie decided to purchase three VIP ECO freezers and one TwinGuard freezer from PHC.

The selected PHCbi freezers helped the lab become more eco-friendly and increased storage capacity from 500 litres to 720 litres per freezer for the same footprint.

Andrew was also delighted with the service provided by PHC Europe. The main challenge was that the team was not only buying new freezers, but replacing old ones as well.

PHC took care of the whole process, together with Benchmark, including removal of the old freezers. It was old one out and new one in by the end of the same day.

With ground-breaking new cancer vaccine trials about to start, the newly equipped CRF Lab at The Christie is set to play an enhanced role in its work contributing towards better cancer care for all.