Penn Centralized Resources Keeps It Clean!

InFocus  •  Fall 2024 Issue  •  November 24, 2024  

Pathology Centralized Resources (PCR) is a small, department-based service center that provides for basic lab needs, shared equipment, and repairs that are essential to P&LM researchers in the Stellar-Chance Laboratories and John Morgan Building.

Led by Lab Resource Coordinator Olga Ortiz, the PCR team includes Nelson Ortiz and Stephen Lamb, who help track daily operations and overall maintenance, as well as Vivian Zambrana, who provides glass-washing and autoclave services for the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CNDR) lab. This team was especially important during COVID, helping maintain social distancing in shared equipment rooms and elevators and providing masks, alcohol spray bottles for cleaning, and everything else labs needed to keep their research going. 

Last year, with the help of Project Manager Penny Sevin, the PCR team connected with Pristinology, a company that specializes in laboratory deep-cleaning, to take apart and clean individual PI biosafety cabinets and hoods. After the success of that first project, the team then contracted Pristinology to clean all of the Pathology research cold rooms. This involved the team coordinating with labs to move freezers and samples out of the rooms, generally over a weekend, then back once the cleaning was completed. From the dramatic before and after photos supplied by Pristinology, one can see this initiative has improved the overall Pathology research environment, as well as benefited the science. Next up for the cold rooms: new flooring!