BioLife Solutions Inc. signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Global Cooling Inc., which is operating as Stirling Ultracold, a privately held manufacturer of ultra low temperature mechanical freezers.

The Vostok line of ultra-low temperature freezers can continuously store biological materials such as viruses, germs and sperm, at temperatures as low as -123°F (-86°C) with ±0.1°C accuracy.

How have new rules and regulations aimed at curbing the spread of COVD-19 affected food manufacturing and industrial refrigeration stakeholders? That is the focus of a one-hour webinar on March 25 at 2 p.m. ET hosted by the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration.

HRS Heat Exchangers received orders for pharmaceutical heat exchangers that will be used by different manufacturers of coronavirus vaccines around the world.

Cold Chain Technologies (CCT), a global provider of reusable and single-use passive thermal packaging solutions for the shipment of temperature-sensitive products for the life sciences industry, opened a facility in Lebanon, Tenn., that will support the needs for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Cold Summit Development launched a 343,000 ft² multi-tenant cold-storage facility, Cold Summit Dallas, in Dallas, Texas. The $60 million project will include state-of-the-art refrigeration technology and a 50’ clear height. Construction is anticipated to start immediately with completion scheduled for September 2021.

One issue with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is that it needs to be stored at -94°F, which is problematic when it comes to storage. One possible solution to the problem is Dippin’ Dots, the pelletized ice-cream treat. How? The company operates freezers that get as cold as -122°F, making them suitable for vaccine storage.

As we ended 2019, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was already among us — though most were unaware — though it was not yet holding the world in a pandemic’s grip.

While COVID-19 has forced travel restrictions and supply chain constrictions, product development must go on. To help dairy processors develop and pilot test new products, SPX Flow has put into place secure, remote procedures in place to procure raw materials and conduct trials on behalf of its customers. The company can share results and ship samples of products upon completion of tests.

COVID-19 vaccine candidates being developed by Moderna Inc. and BioNTech and Pfizer Inc. will require stringent standards for refrigeration, according to a story on MarketWatch. Such requirements could hinder how they are distributed.