VIAL STORAGE
HANDLING

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Vial storage & handling for ultra-low freezers

Partnerships and experience invent best practice recommendations for how to use ULT freezers for COVID-19 vial storage.

Read about COVID-19 Biologics Distribution Successes here > Read about Cold Chain Storage here >

Watch this video to see how easy it is for the administrator to load and unload entire drawers of vials in our undercounter model.

Watch this video to see how easy it is for the administrator to load and unload entire drawers of vials in our portable model.

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Stirling Ultracold recommends ULT rack system to simplify and maximize vial storage

Stirling Ultracold continues to supply ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers around the world for COVID-19 biologics distribution. From small, portable freezers used at the point-of-care to large, upright freezers at centralized storage hubs, custom racks organize vial inventory and simplify administration. Stirling Ultracold has partnered with Custom Biogenic Systems to design racks specific to COVID-19 vial storage.

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ult racks

What is a ULT freezer rack?

Racks are storage inventory systems used inside ULT freezers to simplify and organize biological samples or vials. Racks consist of a series of drawers and/or stainless-steel shelf supports to section off parts of the freezer and efficiently categorize the materials within the freezer.

How does a ULT freezer rack simplify vial storage?

Custom racking systems designed for COVID-19 biologics storage and distribution are essential for organizing vials, but also serve double-function as being tools necessary to transfer vials to the freezer.

The rack shelves hold vial drawers. Each vial drawer has a removable lip. Once removed, the drawer can be used as a scoop to retrieve the vials from the original shipping container. Once the lip is replaced, the entire drawer is then put back into the shelving unit, protected and optimized for adding storage space.

ult racks

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Stirling Ultracold recommends ULT rack systems to maximize storage

Not only does the use of a custom rack simplify vial transfer from the shipping container to the freezer, it also reorganizes the vial bundle to better fit freezer dimensions – allowing for higher volume storage and optimized freezer space. A small vial takes up much less volume than the box it was shipped in – remove the box, increase the number of vials to fit in the freezer – it is that simple.

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Pfizer vial storage, handling and ULT freezer use

Pfizer/BioNTech vials are being distributed in bundles of “pizza boxes”, containing 195 vials each. For upright freezers and undercounter freezers, the pizza boxes can directly stack inside. This is great news for central repositories and hubs that may be managing the regional ebb and flow of demand, but not optimal for last mile, point-of-administration use because the entire pizza box must be removed each time a vial is removed – exposing all vials to ambient temperatures to remove one vial.

ult25neu freezer

Pfizer Vials – Portable ULT25NEU Freezer

For the portable ULT25NEU freezer, the Pfizer pizza box must be turned on its side to fit inside the freezer. Stirling Ultracold does not recommend this due to the added risk placed on the glass vials once a few have been removed, and they are no longer tightly packed.

For last-mile, point-of-administration storage in ULT25NEU freezers, racks help maximize storage space, organize and protect the delicate vials and act as the tool to transfer the vials from their shipment packaging to the freezer.

For the ULT25NEU freezer, Stirling Ultracold recommends the ULT25-R1T7-Kit rack for storing Pfizer vials.

SU105UE freezer

Pfizer Vials – Undercounter SU105UE Freezer

SU105UE racks also help maximize storage space for last-mile, point-of-administration storage in our undercounter model, organizing and protecting the delicate vials and acting as the tool to transfer the vials from their shipment packaging to the freezer.

For the SU105UE freezer, Stirling Ultracold recommends the SU105-R6T30-Kit rack for storing Pfizer vials.

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Moderna vial storage, handling and ULT freezer use

The Moderna vials hold 10 doses and are a little larger than the Pfizer vial. The Moderna vials ship in groups of 10, in packaging designed specifically for this effort. If storing the doses for longer than 30 days, they must be placed in a freezer between -15°C to -25°C.

For the portable ULT25NEU freezer, racks are not recommended. The shipping boxes fit easily into the small portable freezer and stack nicely, removing only 10 vials at a time for administration.

For the undercounter SU105UE freezers, Stirling Ultracold recommends 6 of the DR-342 racks to maximize freezer space and limit administrative thawing to only the vials that will be used. This eliminates any waste.

For the upright SU780XLE freezers, mostly used at central repository hubs, Stirling Ultracold recommends the 780-DKIT3 rack system.

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