The University is finalizing the terms of a settlement with one of its contractors over the breakdown of a dehumidification unit at the Medical School, both parties told The Daily.

Citing the destruction of sensitive DNA technology in a Medical School facility, Stanford sued contractor Rudolph & Sletten at the end of January for negligence and breach of contract. The University claimed that a dehumidification unit provided by the contractor for the Stanford Functional Genomics Facility (SFGF) caused the loss of the DNA technology.

“The temperature and humidity problems at the Functional Genomics Facility in the CCSR Basement prevented [the Stanford facility] from operating at optimal capacity and culminated in the destruction of over 500 [DNA] Micro Arrays,” the University said in its Jan. 30 legal complaint.

As a result, the University claimed that in early 2004, the temperature at the SFGF fell “drastically” and the humidity level increased. The University said the environmental changes prevented the facility from operating for two days and eventually resulted in the microarrays’ destruction.

Rudolph & Sletten President Martin Sisemore acknowledged this claim.

“It was a failed component on a dehumidification system, as was stated in the suit,” he said. “It was repaired a few days after that and has been working successfully ever since.”

SFGF is a Core Facility in the School of Medicine. The Core Facilities aim to provide Stanford researchers with access to the technology required for medical research. SFGF provides custom DNA microarrays to researchers who are members of the Stanford community.

Microarrays allow medical researchers to compare the DNA from two different individuals and locate small genetic differences.

“You can [use microarrays] to compare cancer cells with normal tissue,” said John Coller, a research and development engineer at SFGF. “You can look at any biological sample that has DNA in it. There are literally tons of things that you can do.”

According to Coller, the facility makes approximately 10,000 microarrays every year. He explained that humidity and temperature are carefully managed in the facility in order to optimize the working environment.

“If there are fluctuations,” he said, “things are not as controllable.”

Both sides of the suit acknowledged earlier this month that an agreement was in the process of being finalized.

“That issue has been successfully resolved and we suspect that the lawsuit will be withdrawn within a couple days,” Sisemore said. “It was a relatively minor issue.”

“It’s my understanding that the case has been settled,” Senior University Counsel Patrick Dunkley agreed.

According to Coller, SFGF is currently fully operational.