Cell Manipulations Laboratory Facilities
Gowning Room
The gowning room is the entrance for both personnel and materials entering the cleanroom facility. It is negatively pressurized relative to the cell processing suites and the common area, thus it provides an air-lock between the cell processing laboratory and the surrounding research laboratory environment. It contains a shelving unit for supply storage and a small bench to facilitate gowning. All personnel, raw materials, supplies, and equipment enter the facility through this room. All personnel are fully gowned before entering, and all supplies must be sanitized with isopropyl alcohol prior entering the cleanroom facility.
Common Area
This is a Class 100,000 environment that contains common processing equipment, such as a refrigerator, a -80°C freezer, a controlled rate liquid nitrogen freezer, and a microscope. This area is used for preparing materials kits, product labeling and testing, and also serves as a distribution point for incoming products and samples being sent out to other laboratories for testing. All work surfaces are stainless steel and all shelving is wire-molded to facilitate cleaning. The room is positively pressurized relative to the gowning room, but negatively pressurized relative to the procedure rooms. A source liquid nitrogen is piped in from a liquid nitrogen storage closet accessible from the adjacent corridor.
Procedure Rooms
There are two cell processing rooms approximately 100 square foot each separated from the common equipment room. The suites contain multipurpose work areas, and each is equipped with a biosafety cabinet, centrifuge, incubator, and a work surface. The suites are Class 100,000 and are positively pressurized relative to the common equipment area. CO2 for the incubators is piped in from a remote site. Only one product will be allowed in each procedure room at the same time; therefore, the facility has a production capacity of only two products simultaneously.
Quarantine Storage Area
Quarantined material storage will occur at Hoxworth Blood Center, which has a dedicated storage area within a large storeroom area for this purpose.
Freezer Room
The Freezer Room is located at Hoxworth Blood Center. It is used for both the long-term storage of cryopreserved products and the retention of samples. All products are cryopreserved in the Cell Manipulations Laboratory, using a controlled rate freezer, then transported to Hoxworth Blood Center in a dry shipper immediately after the cryopreservation process is complete.
De-gowning Room
The De-gowning Room is negatively pressurized relative to the cell processing suites. All personnel, finished product, and waste materials exit the facility through this room.
Contact Us
For further information regarding the Cell Manipulations Laboratory (CML), please contact Dr. Tom Leemhuis at 513-558-1553.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Yi Zheng, Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, at 513-636-0364. The Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology can be found in Room 7.205 of Location S (Research Foundation Building).
