Logistics / Cold Chain
Cold-chain peptide shipping
across Canada.
How Lumera Labs moves lyophilized reference standards from a −20°C freezer in the Okanagan to your laboratory bench without breaking chain of custody.
Why cold chain matters
Lyophilized peptide reference standards are highly stable in their sealed state, but they are not indestructible. Peptide bonds degrade faster at ambient temperatures, and humidity exposure can compromise the sealed cake and start hydrolysis. Even a 1–2% drop in purity can shift your HPLC calibration curve.
The research community standard is −20°C storage and transport. That's what Lumera Labs targets end-to-end.
Our cold chain, step by step
- Synthesis and lyophilization at a GMP-audited contract facility. Vials are sealed under dry, inert gas and boxed before leaving the synthesis line.
- Freight to Kelowna in bulk under continuous cold chain, temperature-logged.
- Arrival QC: HPLC, mass spec, and LAL assay on a random sample from each lot. COA issued and matched to vial labels.
- −20°C storage in a monitored freezer at the Kelowna fulfillment hub until order dispatch.
- Order packing in phase-change insulation (eutectic gel packs pre-frozen to −20°C, EPS foam shell, outer corrugated). Packed to hold temperature for 48–72 hours.
- Domestic courier across Canada, typically arriving within 48 hours. Critical shipments ship with a single-use temperature logger.
- On arrival: customer confirms cold-pack integrity, moves vials to −20°C storage, and scans the lot number to pull the COA.
What to check on receipt
- Outer packaging intact, no crush damage.
- Gel packs still firm (partially slushy is acceptable within the 48-hour window; fully liquid is a temperature excursion — flag it).
- Vial seals intact and the lyophilized cake looks uniform (not melted or re-crystallized).
- Lot number on label matches the COA you were sent.
- For temperature-logged shipments, download the logger profile and archive with your lot records.
Why shipping from Kelowna matters
Domestic Canadian fulfillment means no CBSA holds, no cross-border temperature excursions, and predictable 48-hour transit times to BC, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. Shipping within Canada also keeps your research supply chain off the CBSA inspection list — a real issue for peptide vendors that rely on US or offshore fulfillment.