A stand-alone laboratory is a mobile laboratory that scientists can transport from one area to another. Depending on the equipment installed inside, a mobile laboratory could handle chemical, biological, or other data. Certain mobile laboratories can also serve as teaching spaces or mobile classrooms. Rather than purchasing a mobile laboratory, many companies rent or lease these types of facilities. Mobile laboratories are typically used by private laboratories and research firms to go to clients’ locations.

If you need a laboratory that can go just about anywhere, M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks can help you build a custom unit. Give us a call at 904-397-0246 or contact us here for a no obligation quote.

What Can You Do With A Mobile Laboratory Trailer?

Built by M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks.

Basically what you’d find in a typical laboratory can be done in a mobile laboratory trailer. Some of the common things that you can do with a mobile laboratory trailer not stated above are enumerated below.

1. Cultures – In order to diagnose and cure infections, cultures are employed as a test. strep throat, MRSA, meningitis, pneumonia, and UTIs can all be detected and tested to determine whether or not antibiotic treatment is necessary.

2. Liver Panel – The liver panel, also known as a liver function test, is a collection of tests that are used to evaluate liver function and rule out the presence of liver cancers. These tests include activated Partial Thromboplastin Time, bilirubin, prothrombin time, and albumin among others.

3. Complete Blood Count – The most frequent blood test, often known as a CBC, is a complete blood count. It counts the different types and amounts of blood cells, such as red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. This testing is used to determine general health status, screen for diseases, and determine nutritional status. This test can also assist to diagnose illnesses like leukemia, infection, malaria, and anemia by evaluating symptoms like weakness, exhaustion, and bruises.

4. Basic Metabolic Panel – This test evaluates potassium, calcium, glucose, chloride, sodium, blood urea nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and creatinine, and can be used to determine blood sugar levels, fluid balance, and electrolyte balance, as well as kidney function. The Basic Metabolic Panel can help your healthcare provider track the effects of medicines you’re taking, such as high-blood-pressure medications, identify disorders, or be used as part of a regular health assessment. It’s possible that you’ll have to fast for up to 12 hours prior to this test.

5. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone – The thyroid function is checked and monitored with this test. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) testing is a standard blood test that determines how well the thyroid gland is functioning. The thyroid gland is placed in the front of the neck, near the lower jaw. The pituitary gland, a pea-sized organ at the base of the brain, produces TSH.

6. Lipid Test – A lipid profile, also known as a lipid panel, is a set of blood tests used to detect lipid abnormalities like triglycerides and cholesterol. The findings of this assay can be used to diagnose specific hereditary illnesses as well as estimate the risk of cardiovascular disease, pancreatitis, and other ailments.
Lipid panels, along with some other panels like the basic metabolic panel (BMP) and the complete blood count (CBC), are routinely requested as part of a physical exam.

7. Prothrombin Time – This test, often known as PT or Pro Time, determines how long it would take for the blood to coagulate. This coagulation test determines whether or not five distinct blood clotting factors are present and active. This test can also be used to check for bleeding anomalies and to evaluate drug therapies that avert blood clots.

8. Hemoglobin A1C – The HbA1c test, often referred to as the hemoglobin A1C test or A1C test, is a simple blood test that determines your average blood sugar levels over the previous three months. It is also one of the most popular tests for diagnosing prediabetes and diabetes, as well as the most important test for assisting you and your health care team in managing your diabetes.

9. Urinalysis – Your urine is tested in a urinalysis. It is used to diagnose and treat a variety of illnesses, including urinary tract infections, kidney disease, and diabetes.
The impression, concentration, and substance of urine are all checked during a urinalysis. A urinary tract infection, for instance, may cause urine to appear hazy rather than clear. Protein levels in urine that are higher than normal can indicate renal dysfunction.

10. Comprehensive Metabolic Panel – A comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) is a blood test that evaluates 14 distinct chemicals. It gives crucial information on the chemical balance and metabolism of your body. The process through which the body utilizes food and energy is known as metabolism. Any of these compounds, or a combination of compounds, at abnormally high levels, can indicate a major health condition.

How Much Does It Cost For A Laboratory Trailer Build?

Just like other mobile health facility trailers, there is also not much information on how much it would cost to specifically build a mobile laboratory. However, the South Dakota Public Health Department provided some information on their mobile laboratory layout and cost. The following data on the mobile laboratory were presented:

  • The trailer length is 53 feet long.
  • The laboratory itself is 35 feet long.
  • The lab itself is fully self-contained.
  • It can be powered by a generator or by shore electricity.
  • Heat, propane, water, gray water, and storage are all available onboard.
  • Sterilization of laboratory waste on-board.
  • Decontamination system installed onboard.
  • 2 biosafety cabinets, which are also used in chemical terrorism testing.
  • Glove box for storing potentially hazardous or unknown materials.
  • Microscopes, incubators, a 70° freezer, and cutting-edge laboratory equipment for cultivating microorganisms and performing molecular methods are among the items available onboard.
  • Telephone, digital radio, email, and DDN system connectivity are all available communication options.
  • True Bio-Safety Level 3 testing facility.
  • The cost of construction is estimated to be around $500,000.

What Equipment Can You Install On A Laboratory Trailer?

To conduct testing and research, laboratories need a variety of equipment and instruments. These workhorse pieces of standard lab equipment can be found in a variety of disciplines and markets. Provision, lab space, and budget are the three major factors to consider. The specifications of the laboratory job you’re undertaking determine your laboratory necessities. Scales, hot plates, pipettes, stirrers, centrifuges, Bunsen burners, incubators, fume hoods, freezers, water baths, and coolers, to name a few, are among the numerous items that would be termed general lab equipment.

  • Incubators – In the laboratory, lab incubators are critical pieces of equipment that offer a temperature-controlled environment for the growth of microbiological cultures. Pharmaceutical testing, heated storage, egg incubation, coliform identification, and food and beverage testing are some of the other purposes.
  • Water Bath – Microbiological tests, heat reagents, incubation, thawing, and other uses for laboratory water baths are common among researchers and industrial technicians. Water baths are available in a variety of styles, including static (where the water remains still), shaking (with a built-in shaking platform on the bottom), and circulating (with a paddle that gently stirs the water). In addition, circulating water baths attain temperature faster and keep it better than static baths. Size, dependability, and accessible features such as timers are further factors to consider.
  • Pipette – A pipette (occasionally called pipet) is a laboratory tool used to convey a calculated volume of liquid, and is frequently used as a media dispenser in biology, medicine, and chemistry. From single-piece glass pipettes to more complicated adjustable or electronic pipettes, pipettes come in a variety of designs for diverse uses with varying levels of precision and accuracy. Most pipettes work by establishing a differential pressure over the liquid-holding chamber and then gradually releasing that vacuum to draw liquid up and out. Based on the instrument, measurement accuracy varies substantially.
  • Stirrers – A magnetic stirrer, also known as a magnetic mixer, is a piece of laboratory equipment that uses a rotating magnetic field to drive a stir bar (or flea) immersed in a liquid to spin rapidly, churning the liquid. A rotating magnet or a group of fixed electromagnets positioned beneath the liquid-filled vessel can create the rotating field. It’s employed in biology and chemistry when conventional methods of stirring, such as stirring rods and motorized stirrers, aren’t practical.
  • Fume Hoods – Through venting solvent fumes and other dangerous gases out of the laboratory and into the interior room air, a chemical fume hood keeps lab personnel safe. Air enters the cabinet through a front movable sash, carrying fumes up and out through the vent. Bypass fume hoods contain an additional air intake above the sash, which reduces airflow interruption in the worksite owing to hood motions. Low flow fume hoods and hoods with an outside air intake (also known as auxiliary fume hoods) are now available in chemical fume cabinets to prevent releasing conditioned room air. There are also chemical fume hoods intended for specific applications, such as dealing with perchloric acid or radioisotopes.
  • Microscopes – Regardless of whether an optical microscope, which utilizes light to create images, a scanning or transmission electron microscope (which employs electrons) or a scanning probe microscopy, the purpose of any laboratory microscope is to produce high-quality, clear images (using a probe). The most popular type of microscope has the light source underneath the platform and the lens system just above; inverted microscopes, which are especially useful for cell culture, have the lighting system above the platform and the lens system underneath it. Microelectronics, pharmacological research, geology, nanophysics, and biotechnology are only a few examples of possible applications.
  • Coolers – Laboratory coolers, also known as laboratory chillers, are equipment that use a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle to remove heat from a liquid. After that, the fluid can be pumped via a heat exchanger to chill air or equipment as needed. Refrigeration generates excess heat as a necessary byproduct, which must be discharged into the atmosphere or recovered for heating purposes for improved efficiency. Maintenance, efficiency, performance, and product life cycle environmental impact are all factors to consider when designing and selecting laboratory chillers. The primary function of a cooler is to transfer heat from one location to another, such as ambient air or water.
  • Bunsen Burners – Bunsen burners are a common fixture on the laboratory bench, and they can be used for a wide range of ordinary heating investigations as well as basic open-flame sterilizing. A portable Bunsen burner can also be used on either a typical external gas source or a gas cartridge including a battery for ignition, command, and monitoring features. The UV and solvent-resistance of laboratory Bunsen burners expand the variety of settings in which they can be used. Such models also include a tip-resistant design for added Bunsen burner safety. These can be utilized with 50 mbar butane/propane gas or 20 mbar natural or ordinary public utility gas. Hands-free function is available in some versions via an optical sensor or perhaps a footswitch, which is operated via a simple graphical user interface.
  • Scales – Analytical balances have weighing capabilities ranging from tens to hundreds of grams, with sensitivity down to 0.1 to 0.01 mg. For your analytical balance, you have the option of using internal motor-driven calibration or external calibration, with certain models allowing you to do both. Look for a weighing sensor on an analytical balance that is easy to fix, quick, thermally stable, and repeatable. There are also analytical balances that can be calibrated completely automatically based on predetermined times or variations in ambient temperature. When used with a printer, other analytical balances may have built-in features such as mass unit conversion, capacity display, piece counting, a clock, and data record-keeping.
  • Centrifuges – A laboratory centrifuge is a rotor-driven device for rapidly separating liquid samples. The centrifuge’s motion creates a centripetal acceleration, which allows compounds to be separated based on their density. For research laboratories, hospitals, and any facility that needs to separate material from liquid sample preparations, laboratory centrifuges have a wide range of applications. The size of the samples, freezer capacity, rotor velocity, and optical detection potential all influence the model adaptability of a centrifuge. Laboratory centrifuges’ capacity to integrate several functions, which include high-speed refrigerated centrifuges, enables them to be used in a variety of research settings. The noise, model versatility, corrosion resistance, and rotor type are all important factors to consider when buying a centrifuge.

The majority of mobile labs are analytical labs that employ field data to examine the landscape for potential concerns. Food safety experts can, for instance, deploy a mobile laboratory into or next to farmland to analyze lettuce and other products for biological toxins or harmful pesticides. Scientists, healthcare workers, and other professionals utilize mobile laboratories to collect water, air, and other important specimens after catastrophes such as hurricanes and floods. Scientists are also able to discover health problems quickly because the mobile laboratory is on location. Decontamination centers are frequently used by first responders who employ mobile laboratories.

One of the key reasons scientists favor mobile laboratories is that they could examine vital data way quicker than they would be using conventional means. Samples are collected and shipped or taken to a laboratory for processing if there isn’t a mobile laboratory on location. When it comes to making decisions, the time spent in transit can be essential. It could be disastrous in the event of a calamity, such as an unexpected chemical spill.

Learn more about our mobile medical units here.