BEHIND THE SCIENCE

 

As new therapeutic modalities emerge and operational needs change, biological sample storage is evolving. Laboratories, biorepositories, and clinical environments now store increasingly sensitive materials while navigating changing regulatory expectations, sustainability mandates, and a move toward automation and digital oversight.

 

In this blog, Joe LaPorte, Chief Innovation Officer at PHCNA, outlines five key trends emerging in sample storage.

 

One notable shift in sample storage is the increasing emphasis on stricter temperature control, particularly for vaccines and biologics, driven by several key factors.

 

The CDC typically updates vaccine storage guidance annually, but new guidance has not been released since 2024. With no single, authoritative reference point, many organizations are defaulting to package-insert instructions as their primary source of vaccine storage information, which typically emphasize maintaining 2–8°C, and avoiding any freezing and temperature excursions (as this can impact potency). As teams apply this guidance more literally, they treat even small deviations as potential risks rather than acceptable variation.

 

Many vaccines and biologics that were once supplied in multi-dose vials are now being delivered as single-dose syringes, often containing as little as 0.1–0.25 mL of material. While these smaller formats support easier administration and reduce waste of increasingly expensive products, they are more vulnerable to temperature fluctuations and freezing, making it essential to prevent even minor temperature excursions.

 

Vaccines and biologics have also become more expensive to manufacture and replace. When a single dose fails, organizations face higher financial loss and potential supply disruption, further reducing tolerance for storage variability and reinforcing conservative handling practices.

 

With greater sensitivity to even minor temperature fluctuations, organizations are prioritizing monitoring methods that provide a clearer, real-time view of internal temperatures. As a result, people are moving away from buffered probes, which smooth out short-term fluctuations, toward unbuffered air-temperature probes that more accurately reflect immediate conditions inside the unit.

 

Ambiguity in monitoring guidance is also contributing to the move toward more accurate, real-time monitoring practices. 'In the absence of clear direction and regional interpretational variances, organizations are choosing monitoring approaches that maximize visibility and reduce uncertainty.

 

Looking ahead, this shift is likely to influence organizations' expectations for future storage equipment, with companies demanding units that offer clearer temperature visibility and integrate more closely with digital monitoring systems.

 

Developers, particularly in CGT, and organizations storing samples long-term, are moving toward automated sample storage systems. CGT workflows involve high-value, highly sensitive materials where even small handling errors can create significant risk. Automation, however, can help standardize these processes, reduce variability, and minimize the chance of user error during storage and retrieval.

 

Organizational drive for efficiency in high-throughput environments is also leading to greater automation, since automated systems can support 24/7 operation and remove the repetitive manual tasks that often slow down workflows or introduce inconsistencies.

 

As organizations seek clearer oversight of stored samples and regulations demand increasing documentation, companies are placing greater emphasis on digital traceability and connected monitoring within their sample storage environments. Laboratories now expect storage units to integrate more seamlessly with wider facility infrastructure and to provide continuous insight into performance.

 

This shift is contributing to greater demand for cold-storage units that can communicate directly with monitoring platforms and Building Management Systems (BMS), providing richer data to support earlier issue detection and more robust, audit-ready documentation.

 

The rise of predictive analytics is also shaping demand for digital monitoring systems, with AI being implemented into external monitoring systems to help detect early issues. Given that AI tools provide the most value when they are fed with detailed information, companies are increasingly looking for cold storage units that include integrated sensors, giving richer, more precise data that can improve the predictability of monitoring systems.

 

These factors are pushing cold storage toward a more connected, data-driven future, where units can provide clear, actionable performance insights.

 

More than ever, companies are considering sustainability when purchasing, driven by regulatory pressure and company environmental goals. A key factor in the move toward more sustainable units is the phase-out of HFC refrigerants under the U.S. AIM Act, which is making older refrigerants harder and more expensive to source, accelerating the move toward systems that use natural, lower-impact refrigerants.

 

At the same time, cold storage equipment is becoming far more energy efficient. Earlier generations of ultra-low temperature freezers consumed roughly the same amount of energy as an average U.S. household, while many modern models use only slightly more than a domestic refrigerator. As many organizations strive to meet sustainability commitments and reduce operational costs, laboratories are now prioritizing these more energy-efficient systems, using ENERGY STAR® ratings as a clear indicator of performance.

 

Sustainability considerations are also extending beyond individual pieces of equipment to the design of entire laboratory facilities. In regions with strong environmental mandates, organizations are moving to buildings with all-electric infrastructure, which requires facilities teams to manage overall plug loads more closely. For this reason, cold storage units that can integrate with BMS, providing data on operating conditions that affect energy consumption (such as door opening frequency, ice buildup, and equipment health), are becoming increasingly valuable for optimizing energy use and maintaining long-term efficiency.

 

Collectively, changes in materials, regulation, monitoring, and automation are increasing the need for tighter control, deeper visibility, and improved consistency across the entire storage lifecycle. As sample formats evolve and operational standards become more demanding, future storage systems will be defined by their ability to maintain stability, support continuous monitoring, and integrate seamlessly with digital laboratory infrastructure, while supporting sustainability goals.

 

With tighter expectations around storage performance, organizations need clearer ways to evaluate refrigerator and freezer capabilities at the point of purchase.

 

Our Decoding the Data eBook offers in-depth guidance to help you evaluate lab equipment effectively, so that you can make informed purchase decisions that align with evolving storage requirements.