June is coming to an end

Mira's goal was to have the production of histological sections up and running before the calendar turns to July 2026. That probably won't happen — miracles apparently have a two-month waiting time — but we've accomplished a lot over the past few weeks.

Among other things, Mira and I have been shopping lab coats, and safety glasses, and we've been scrubbing floors. We don't have anyone doing things for us, so we are lab workers, cleaners, IT managers, kitchen assistants, and everything in between.

Luckily, we have Kamila at Son Regnskap making sure the numbers are in order and training us in PowerOffice, so we're ready to both send and receive invoices. Geir Olaf, Mira's husband, hasn't exactly been spared from handyman duties either, and my mum has helped as well. We've also had several rooms expanded by Uncle Øystein.

Kilab has installed fume hoods, lab benches, and sinks. Triolab stopped by, and we received Norway's very first laser printer for microscope slides. We're really excited to try it out! Triolab also brought cake and iced coffee, so we got to test out the break room with guests. The internet is almost installed, fiber cables had to be pulled all the way from ground level up to us. I honestly didn't realize how much work that would involve, but hopefully everything will be up and running by Friday.

Right at the end of the week, Ortomedic delivered a Leica GT 180. A huge thank you to the whole team for coming just before the holiday season starts (and Norway shuts down in its usual summer fashion). It's also worth mentioning that we're the first in Norway to have a Leica GT 180 scanner installed! It looks absolutely amazing, so now it's just a matter of sending us slides if anyone wants scanning done. Sakura has delivered the staining machine, and we've completed training on it. That means we can now run the entire process from paraffin block to digital slide. The only thing we're still missing is a tissue prosessor to be able to deliver the full histology workflow. That's also why we haven't told too many people, apart from friends and family, that we're opening a laboratory. Everything needs to be in place, both equipment and routines, before we fully get started. But we're well underway and almost there.

Busy weeks, filled with a lot of great people. Thank you to Pål, Bea, Martin, Katrine, Siri, Ann, Øystein, Geir Olaf, Anne Lise, Fabian, and everyone else who has stopped by and helped us get started.

Now the kindergarten is closing for summer, and I have to focus on family duties, while Mira is slowly starting to take on the laboratory work :)

Lene

June 2026 – We are building a state-of-the-art histology laboratory.

The days are flying by when you are starting something new! It's all about procurement, installations, making a web page and we have already begun receiving equipment for the lab. We are well on schedule, or so we think!

As early as the first week of June, we discovered that the doors were a bit too narrow for our machines. Fortunately, my uncle stepped up, and the problem was solved in no time. Mira's husband, Geir-Olaf, took care of the flooring where it was missing, and, of course, the walls needed a fresh coat of paint. Mira didn't want purple walls, but I went for pink and purple tones anyway, inspired by classic H&E staining (while Mira was away 😊). These same shades are also reflected in our logo.

The second week of June, we received equipment from Triolab, including a brand-new embedding station and microtome from Leica. The Sakura stainer is also in place, and now we are just waiting for the plumber. Today, Kilab stopped by to install benches and fume hoods. We are still waiting for more machines, but the laboratory is starting to take shape.

And then there is all the administrative work: accounting, routines, and things we never thought much about before. A big thank you to Kamila at Son Regnskap, who is incredibly patient with us when we ask about everything from accounts and vouchers to how to actually pay an invoice, what we should draw in salary, holiday pay, and everything else you need to get to grips with. We have also received approval from the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) to purchase the necessary chemicals for our laboratory operations and have implemented extra security measures with an alarm and surveillance system from Verisure.

Our coffee corner has also become very cozy. We got the kitchen table and sofa from my mom, so I naturally feel right at home here. The pod coffee machine and kettle were bought at the second hand market place Finn.no, so I am looking forward to our lunches in the breakroom. You shouldn't underestimate a nice breakroom. I also forgot to mention that we got sit-stand desks and old bookshelves from a company that was moving to new premises. As you can see, we have invested in state-of-the-art equipment for our laboratory operations while reusing furniture and equipment where appropriate. Fabian has been watching the kids. It's good to have a husband who supports you, because there is a lot to learn when you start on your own.

Oh, I completely forgot to write where we are located; we have rented premises at Gamleveien 2 in the small University town of Ås, Norway. The space used to be a dentist's office, so most things are well-suited for laboratory operations.

Mira is soon back from vacation in Slovakia! Then there will be less time for building the website and full focus on getting the laboratory up and running.

Feel free to follow us for more updates from our establishment phase.

Lene