Lab Move Client – University of Chicago, Dr. Eric. G. Pamer
Lab Move Location – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Lab Move Destination – The Duchossois Family Institute at the University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL
Lab Move Timetable – June 2019
In spring 2019, renowned physician-scientist Eric G. Pamer accepted an offer to be the inaugural faculty director of The Duchossois Family Institute at the University of Chicago Medicine. That would require moving Dr. Pamer’s lab from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan to Chicago by July 1.
Lab moves present many challenges on their own—delicate and expensive equipment being tops on the list. This move certainly had that. An infectious diseases expert, Dr. Pamer specializes in immune defense against infections associated with cancer treatment and used a number of specialized pieces of equipment. Most notably an anaerobic chamber that needed special care and crating.
Time was another factor. Most lab moves require six months to a year from the RFP and planning stage to final delivery and having the lab up and running. The move from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City to The Duchossois Family Institute at the University of Chicago would need to be completed in two months.
Finally, moving a lab of this size would have to take place in two very urban environments. Both facilities—Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan and The Duchoissois Family Institute at the University of Chicago–would have to be done from street level as neither facility had a designated loading area. Parking tickets might be a factor. And as we found out, the City of New York delivered their tickets right to the truck windshield in person.
The load took place on June 24. While much of the lab equipment was fairly standard, the anaerobic chamber required some special anti-static bubble wrap and needed to be crated carefully.
The trucks were loaded in stages, with secondary items packed first and the higher priority items last.
Loading and unloading did take place from the street level. That did prove challenging and we did need to remind local authorities that we had permission to be there. It also meant working around foot traffic.
The move was completed on June 27. Dr. Pamer and his team met their July 1 objective and were ready to continue their important research in their new lab at the The Duchossois Family Institute at the University of Chicago Medicine.
Ingrid Leiner, manager for Dr. Pamer’s lab at the University of Chicago had this to say about working with BTI:
\”From the very beginning, George and the BTI team made you feel comfortable that they knew what they were doing. That started with the virtual survey tour BTI conducted of the lab to estimate what would be needed for the move to the day BTI showed up in Chicago, which was three days before our July 1 open date. The best part of the experience, in addition to BTI’s knowledge of the intricacies of a lab move, was the responsiveness. Whether it was a phone call or an e-mail, George responded right away, every time.”
