The origin of businesses is often an interesting story. List Biological Laboratories is no exception. The company was founded in 1978 by Linda Shoer. Linda was an entrepreneurial scientist in Silicon Valley, who’d been relocated with her husband from Boston. She had an idea for a company and leveraged an initial order into a loan from a bank, fearless that her vision would be successful. That order and loan served as the starting point for List Laboratories. The first product was a Cholera Toxin.

List Labs Develops Full Range of Bacterial Toxins and Contract Manufacturing Services

Linda had a clear plan for the company and it involved the development of a product line devoted exclusively to Bacterial Toxins and related products. List Labs was the first to commercialize many bacterial toxins for research including C. difficile Toxins and Pertussis Toxins.

Linda was well connected and comfortable networking with colleagues and proposing new business ideas or ventures.  She got the company involved in contract manufacturing and consulting early on. In the 90’s List Labs was instrumental in the manufacturing of a very popular injectable consumer product to smooth facial wrinkles.   Upon her death, she left the business to the current management team; a team that has now worked together for over 20 years.

List Labs – Still Women-Owned and Cutting Edge

Shoer’s presence is still strongly felt and the company has always remained a women owned and operated business. In an era of takeovers and transition, List Laboratories has remained true to its founding and focus. Today, the List Labs catalog offers over 100 products including Toxins, Peptides, Antibodies and Lipopolysaccharides. Many of the employees have worked together for decades.

In 2008, the company built out a new lab, complete with state of the art equipment.   List has produced several batches of high purity proteins used to test vaccines. Additionally, the company specializes in the production, shipment and handling of dangerous goods. In the last several years List Labs has worked on a variety of microbiome projects, custom fills, development work and special Select Agent projects on various subtypes of Botulinum Toxin. We have also provided GMP product for many phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. We enjoy the variety of work and welcome inquiries from new customers.  

Today, List Labs takes great pride in its reputation for high quality products and exceptional customer service. The company works with businesses and organizations worldwide on custom projects or contract manufacturing opportunities as well as selling a broad array of toxins and related products. List Labs heart is in the science and the discovery of innovative solutions. Their office is located in Campbell, CA, in the Silicon Valley. If you have questions about any of our products or services, contact us today!

By: Dom C. Ouano, Marketing Coordinator

Select Agents & Toxins (SA&T) require additional regulations during shipping. In 2015, it was reported in the media that a large institution neglected to ship SA&T’s properly. As a result of this, a much greater deal of scrutiny followed, and a major shipping service provider decided to keep Select Agents & Toxins out of their transit lines. This has caused several changes regarding the delivery of these products, such as the shipping price and processing time. List Labs wants to share this information with you, along with some recommendations. Please note that the following information only involves products that are classified as SA&T by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Shipments of other toxins are not impacted by these changes.

What happened?

• Strict IATA regulations made the shipping of Select Agents & Toxins complicated to begin with. Last year, a major shipping courier service provider decided they would no longer carry SA&T products, both domestically and internationally.
• The loss of this major shipping provider creates a short-term economical shift in the relationship between the supply and demand of SA&T shipping services. The world now has lost the major carrier who provided great, efficient service, yet the demand to ship these products remains.
• UPS accepts carriage of SA&T, but only for domestic shipments contained in a special box approved by IATA shipping regulations. World Courier accepts carriage of SA&T internationally, however the scheduling arrangements take about one week as different airlines and countries have different regulations.

What does this mean for researchers who use List Labs SA&T products in their research?

• For researchers in the US, domestic shipments of SA&T can be expected to take an additional few days and will have a slight increase in freight cost.
• For researchers overseas, shipments will take more time on our end to gain acceptance for carriage. Shipping internationally with World Courier will also incur a higher cost, ranging from $600 to $1200, depending on your location and the airline who will accept the item.

In the past, we have noticed that shipments of these products are usually very small in terms of the number of vials purchased at one time. To minimize shipping and administrative costs, List Labs recommends ordering multiple vials for each shipment. Our products are very stable when stored as recommended and consolidating purchases can minimize shipping costs as a percentage of the total order cost.

We hope to see the shipping landscape evolve further in the future with more shipping providers creating more options and added flexibility. As always, we adhere to the current regulations as the SA&T business is controlled. We continue to work diligently with our current carriers to create a dependable and cost effective solution for our customers.

List Labs is part of the Federal Select Agent and Toxin Program.

More information can be found on our website as well as the Federal Select Agent Program website.

Orders and questions can be sent to ORDERS@LISTLABS.COM.

By:
Dom C. Ouano, Marketing Associate
Debby Renshaw, Shipping Manager
Kim Krause, Laboratory Support Supervisor

Below is a list of recommended steps on handling List Labs products upon receiving them. It should be noted that these are simply our own suggestions. If your institution has a standard protocol in place, we ask that you follow said standard protocol.

As always, use caution, wear the proper personnel protection equipment, and follow safety policies of your institution, and local, state, and federal regulations when handling List Labs products.

These steps can also be found in our video How To Open DG Containers and Vials.

How to Open the Paint-Can-Style Bottle-In-Can Units from HAZMATPAC:

Some List Labs bacterial toxins are considered Dangerous Goods. These DG’s, as they are called, are packaged with an extra layer of security: HAZMATPAC‘s Bottle-In-Can Unit. This United Nations approved security canister features a patented locking ring for additional closure. Here’s how to open it.

1) Use your hand to grasp the outer edge of the patented locking ring. Pull upwards using light to moderate force. Do not cut the locking ring. There is no need for tools or sharp objects. This step is very easy to perform with your hands.

2) Once the locking ring is removed, we recommend using either a paint can opener or a flat-head screwdriver. To open the canister itself, insert the tip under the outer lip of the lid. Pry upwards using light force.

3) Repeat this prying process clockwise or counterclockwise, according to your comfort, until the lid is fully dislodged from the canister.

4) Dispose of the locking ring and the canister according to appropriate regulations.

More information on these cans can be found at www.HAZMATPAC.com.

How to Open Vials:

1) Use pliers, forceps, hemostat, or an equivalent tool to lift the center tab.

2) Slowly peel back the tab. Gently continue pulling the tab until the crimped metal seal is broken. Remove the metal seal.

3) Use forceps or equivalent tool to slowly and gently lift and remove the rubber cap.

4) Dispose of metal seals, rubber caps, and vials according to appropriate regulations.

We hope that helps. Please refer to our support portal and knowledge base should you need any other technical assistance.