Lab Matters Winter 2025 | Page 17

INDUSTRY MATTERS

Timely Advances and Adoption of Energy Technologies

As organizations aim to reduce carbon emission and use life cycle cost analysis( LCCA) to evaluate long-term savings, the combined push for sustainability and proof of financial benefits is driving investment in better energy systems.

In the case of the LAPHL, the design teams turned to all-electric, heat pumpbased systems that can simultaneously produce chilled water for cooling and hot water for heating from the same machine. The LCCA for this system resulted in a significant reduction in operating costs over 40 years, including first costs, maintenance and replacement costs of the equipment.

Modern Mass Timber Laboratory Designs in Transformative Times

An engineered wood product known as mass timber is emerging as a low-carbon alternative and hybrid companion to traditional steel and concrete structures. Its biophilic characteristics are recognized for improving occupant well-being, its potential for prefabrication can improve construction timelines, and modularity aligns with adaptable, flexible designs.

At LAPHL, three prefabrication systems come together: mass timber floor panels, the primary steel frame that creates a flat slab and reduces floor-to-floor height, and a steel moment frame system— a structural framework designed to resist lateral forces— to meet the high seismic requirements of Southern California.

The exposed hybrid mass timber flat slab environment supports an open environment with an exposed ceiling and eliminates beam shadows, simplifying the routing and reducing connections needed for vertical offsets.

Guided by simplicity, the LAPHL addition supports a transformative work environment by leveraging technology to improve health outcomes while improving working conditions and the community it serves, which in the broadest sense,“ makes space for everyone.” g

epidemiology tools. Built on a modern, cloud-based architecture, the platform empowers bioinformaticians with analytical and visualization capabilities that make complex data more accessible and actionable. This work reflects the proactive spirit and innovation that state laboratories are bringing to public health modernization.

Ruvos is also developing an on-demand, high-performance computing cluster to run Nextflow pipelines for bacterial and viral genomic analysis using AWS technologies such as HealthOmics, which supports capabilities from data visualization to reference genome comparison and detection. This approach makes advanced analytical tools available to programs with limited resources, reducing cost barriers while improving speed, scalability, and auditability. By leveraging flexible cloud infrastructure, this platform helps democratize access to genomic analysis, ensuring that every laboratory, regardless of size or budget, can contribute to a more connected and responsive public health landscape.

At its core, this work is about empowering people. The success of public health genomics depends not only on modern systems but also on the dedication, creativity and expertise of the professionals using them. By building the tools and infrastructure that support these experts, Ruvos and its partners are helping them do what they do best: Protect communities through science, collaboration and innovation. Together, they are advancing a vision of public health genomics that is faster, more inclusive and guided by the people who make it possible. g