UV offers green alternative for cleaning genome lab

Although VIGILAIR is known for disinfecting air circulated through hospitals, our UV technology has several other applications. VIGILAIR Systems has partnered with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to create a UV sterilization system used in a genome lab.
Find the media release here.
Labs that research human DNA require extremely clean environments. Tiny molecular contamination can ruin weeks of hard work by lab techs. Traditionally, workers had to use caustic chemicals and cleaning materials to 'scrub down' the lab. This process has several disadvantages:

• Maintenance staff needed specialized training to complete the task
• Results were mixed
• Chemicals and cleaning materials used in the process are 'hazardous waste' and must be disposed of properly
• Costs associated with manual cleaning are high

After conferring with Sloan Kettering, we went on-site to measure the lab room and to begin our calculations on how to safely and effectively irradiate all the surfaces in the room. We designed an in-room system consisting of UV emitter lamps that were strategically placed in the lab's ceiling. The system produces a predetermined dose of UV capable of inactivating target organisms by a minimum of 99.999%.

The system's controls initiate the lights when the room is unoccupied and shuts-off the lights should anyone enter the room. This prevents any exposure to UV radiation.

We are proud of our partnership with Sloan Kettering, an institution recognized as a world leader in research and patient care.