A pharmaceutical lab needs to be well equipped in order to properly function. A lab needs many things, such as fridges or freezers for storing medications or test samples that need to be kept at a specific temperature.
Labs also need general equipment that makes tasks easier, such as trolleys, cabinets and more. Like anything and anywhere in life, you need the right tools for the right job, and pharma labs are very specialised environments where safety, precision and accuracy are paramount.
So in this article, we’ll be looking at a list of the essential items needed in a pharmaceutical lab to keep it running smoothly.
Keeping Things Cool
As mentioned, some medications such as certain vaccinesneed to be kept at a certain temperature at all times when not in use. This is to make sure they maintain their stability, integrity and efficiency, just as you would with food.
The same is true with biological samples taken from tests, this could be blood or other fluids or matter such as tissue taken from a biopsy.
These things would otherwise degrade at room temperature, thus rendering them useless for testing, or at the very least could lead to inaccurate results. These samples will then laterbe examined under a microscope.
Certain chemicals also require temperature specific storage. These chemicals are used for testing and for the creation of drugs.
Cooling storage solutions used in pharmaceutical labs include:
Pharmaceutical grade refrigerators – these will store sensitive materials at specific temperatures, typically between 2°C and 8°C. They are available in different sizes and types, such as bigger combination fridge freezers, tabletop desk fridges, and glass door options so you can keep an eye on things more easily.
Freezers – some items such as biological samples (DNA) and reagents need to be preserved and stored at ultra-lowtemperatures, below freezing. Pharmaceutical grade freezers can reach temperatures as low as -80°C. Freezers are ideal for the long-term storage of these items.
Cool Boxes – a cool box is a portable solution for storing the items mentioned above. They can be used during transport or as temporary storage. They are needed in cases such as when samples need to be collected from an external location and taken back to the lab, or used as emergency backup in case a fridge breaks down.
Essential Laboratory Equipment
Microscopes – microscopes are a standard piece of equipment in labs. High quality microscopes are used to examine cellsand microorganisms in tissue samples.
Weighing tools/balances – an analytical balance is usually used to measure samples; these samples may be microscopic and precise measurements are essential for accurate test results.
Centrifuges – these devices rotate and create a centrifugal force that is used to separate mixtures of things such asviruses, proteins, and cells, for example one may be used for separating white blood cells from red blood cells in a blood sample.
Sterilisation Equipment – to keep the environment andworkers safe, pharmaceutical labs need to be regularly deep cleaned and sterilised, preventing contamination. Equipment used to achieve this include autoclaves, which are devices that use high pressure steam.
Safety Equipment – as well as equipment for cleaning and sterilisation, protective equipment is also needed for safety reasons and preventing contamination of samples. Lab workers will wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as lab coats, gloves, safety goggles, and face masks to stopcontamination and protect them from exposure to hazardous substances.
Storage
As well as fridge freezer storage, other storage methods are used for equipment. Whether it’s regular storage cabinets for equipment, trays and drawers for keeping everything organised or trolleys for storing and transporting equipment across labs.
Storage is also necessary for safety reasons, as hazardous biological or chemical material needs to be stored away in a controlled environment. There are specific cabinets designed for the storage of these materials, they may be resistant to corrosive substances or have a ventilation or air filtering system.
Computers and Data Records
As with almost any industry, computers, tablets, and systems for filing and recording data are essential, and for labs this is especially important.
Specialised management software will be used to accurately and efficiently keep track of samples, test results, and other parts of a lab technician’s workload. The computer systems will also be essential for data analysis.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the most common items found in a lab that handles pharmaceutical goods and test samples. But there’s always more to discover, and as technology advances, more tools will be invented to get results easier, faster, and more accurately.
