In short supply! There is a shortage of consumables in laboratories around the world. Scientists ask for supplies through Email?
The pandemic has been going on for more than a year, and the economic shutdown is obvious, but another kind of stagnation is also worrying-scientific research laboratories around the world have encountered various embarrassing situations: sterile gloves and centrifuge tubes are used up, experiments Animals can`t be bought...
Unbalanced supply and demand, scientists cannot find enough experimental consumables
Recently, a new article was published on Nature's official website. The article showed:
"With the collapse of supply and manufacturing chains, scientific laboratories around the world are struggling to find enough sterile gloves and other basic supplies."
During the epidemic, the global demand for sanitary disinfection and protective equipment has skyrocketed. According to the December report, according to data from the US International Trade Commission, by the end of 2020, the global demand for gloves will exceed the supply of about 200 billion.
In the face of such a huge demand, the global market is obviously "unable to resist." Not only that, under the influence of the epidemic, production stagnation, logistics stagnation, and border closures have slowed the delivery of many types of supplies and equipment.
As one of the world's largest glove manufacturers, the Shah Alam-based Top Glove Malaysia (Top Glove) had to temporarily close some factories because of the outbreak of new crown pneumonia among workers.
In the United States and the United Kingdom, gloves, micropipettes, pipette tips, and other supplies also have supply problems and are included in the Food and Major Administration`s equipment shortage list.
Many scientists worry that their laboratory consumables are not enough, and they are "hoarding goods" frantically. "This has increased the demand for test materials, while also disrupting manufacturing and distribution channels."
Laboratory animal supplies are also facing shortages
Not only experimental supplies, but also the supply of experimental animals. According to a nature article, Nasco Education, a science and educational supplies company based in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, is phasing out the sale of live African clawed frogs for developmental biology research. (Xenopus laevis).
"At present, many laboratories are in a shortage of laboratory animals."
There is a shortage of experimental consumables, and the cost of scientific research time has doubled
Experiments that could be completed in one hour, but now because of the lack of necessary experimental consumables, many researchers are forced to change the way the laboratory conducts experiments and sacrifice time to make up for it. For example, before conducting a test, researchers may Spend an extra day to do a pilot test to see if this test is feasible.
"Before the epidemic, I never waited a few days for the replenishment of experimental consumables," said Victoria Forster, a cancer researcher at the Children's Hospital in Toronto, Canada, while conducting a stem cell experiment.
Experimenters search for suitable experimental supplies through email
Due to shortages, laboratories are adopting a "reduce, reuse and recycle" approach. Under appropriate circumstances, the centrifuge tube can be reused. A test tube containing a cell sample can be cleaned enough to hold the buffer after sufficient scrubbing.
Laboratory staff use gloves for non-sterile work for several days. If they need to change the sterile gloves in a particular experiment, they will usually use the old gloves again after completion.
With the continued shortage of laboratory equipment, laboratories around the world are cooperating with each other. Foster said: "E-mail has been circulating." "Does anyone have these?" She managed to obtain some much-needed pipette tips by exchanging supplies with another researcher in Toronto. "This is a good friendship," she said.
