Cambridge institute keeps clean with Astell
A Cambridge University research facility has been kitted out with a range of sterilisation equipment from autoclave specialist Astell.
The Gurdon Institute, part of the Henry Wellcome Building in Cambridge, has been installed with three 500-litre and two 350-litre Astell Logicolor square section sterilisers.
“We have just moved premises, which is why we needed the new sterilisers,” said the Gurdon Institute’s Kathy Hilton. “In the old building we had Astell Swiftlock units and, after 10 years, they were still working well. The tenders we had for the new units were close, but we had had such good reliability from the Swiftlocks that it contributed to our selecting in favour of Astell.”
Astell’s LogiColor Square Section sterilisers are designed to ensure the destruction of all micro-organisms including the most resistant bacteria and spores.
Astell’s pressure vessels are constructed from 316 stainless steel. When the autoclave is first loaded it is full of air, which has to be displaced by the steam. Astell’s pulsed vacuum system ensures that air is removed but does not allow expensive steam to be lost. As steam cools down it condenses, which means that uncontrolled steam evacuation and cooling after sterilisation could leave the phials wet which would entail a drying stage prior to storage. The Astell vacuum and heated jacket systems mean that the load is dry on completion of sterilisation. Safety is assured by an interlocked sliding door, which meets all the requirements of HSE.PM73.
Astell’s new LogiColor Touchscreen control system helps to ensure the sterilisation temperature is reached and controlled in all parts of the autoclave. As part of the commissioning programme, Astell will validate the autoclaves, by multi-point temperature mapping, to establish suitable loading configurations and cycle parameters which will assure repeatability of performance.
The Institute is part of Cambridge University and consists of a number of independent research groups located in one building designed to promote as much interaction as possible. Funding from its two main sponsors, the Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK, supports research into the complementary areas of Cancer and Developmental Biology.