Purchase of MVE Fusion Self-Sustaining Cryogenic Freezers - Project Summary
The goal of this request is to install two innovative Chart MVE Fusion 1500 self-sustaining Cryogenic freezers
for -150oC to -190oC temperature long-term storage by creating a shared new cryofreezer farm which will expand
the Institute’s cryostorage capabilities. The new cryofeezer farm will support 35 active research labs and core
facilities as well as storage of research samples with intellectual property value. As additional freezers cannot
be added to the current farm facility due to space constrains and renovations cannot be attempted to expand the
footprint of the existing farm, creation of a new cryofreezer farm is critical for Wistar researchers to expand their
current usage to support 92 NIH-funded projects and pursue new directions of research and discovery. Two
cutting-edge, stand-alone, self-sustaining cryofreezers will enable creation of a new, added cryofreezer farm
within the tower basement of the Institute (room B02) and without a need for pipelines providing exogenous
replacement of liquid nitrogen. Notably, Chart MVE Fusion self-sustaining freezers utilize innovative Qdrive
cryocooling technology to operate on only 50 liters of liquid nitrogen and run solely on electricity after initial liquid
nitrogen fill, thus not requiring added replacement of liquid nitrogen. The Chart MVE Fusion 1500 cryogenic
Freezer is the world’s first cryofreezer to use patented Qdrive Cryo-cooler technology to remove heat from and
reuse existing supplied liquid nitrogen to maintain freezer temperature. By contrast, traditional vapor phase
cryofreezers require 80 liters of liquid nitrogen for initial fill and then subsequent daily routine filling to compensate
for liquid nitrogen loss due to usage and evaporation. The requested MVE Fusion 1500 cryofreezers will address
two scientific needs at the same time: (a) the expansion of cryostorage capabilities with 72 additional storage
racks to keep pace with Institute growth, and (b) establish cyofreezer units in a new location without the need to
provide constant liquid nitrogen supply as the Institute transitions towards self-sustaining green technology. We
will address these needs by implementing a specific aim to install two Chart MVE Fusion 1500 self-sustaining
cryofreezers and create a shared satellite cryofreezer farm at The Wistar Institute. The new MVE Fusion
cryofreezers will be managed by Wistar’s Department of Operations and overseen by Dr. Luis Montaner, Vice
President of Scientific Operations and Associate Director for Shared Resources, on behalf of the faculty at the
Wistar Institute. The Wistar Institute is the nation’s oldest independent biomedical research institute, with an
energized and highly collaborative faculty who perform cutting-edge research on cancer biology, immunology
and vaccines. The Institute boasts a long history of research success in monoclonal antibody therapy and cancer
biology (Stelara®) and vaccines (RotaTeq©), including the second COVID-19 vaccine to move into clinical
testing in the United States.
