Technology
CryoXtract’s robotic Frozen Sample Aliquotting System is the only technology of its kind. It extracts aliquots from frozen biological sample without thawing them and automates the process. Using CryoXtract’s automated system, multiple cores can be extracted and the remainder returned to the storage vault without having been exposed to the freeze-thaw cycle. In addition to preserving sample integrity, the instrument reduces the time it takes to obtain aliquots since no time is spent thawing and refreezing. This high-throughput capability is an important benefit - even for samples that are not susceptible to freeze-thaw damage.
By eliminating the need to thaw the sample before extracting aliquots, CryoXtract’s robotic system makes it possible for biorepositories and biobanks, and to any user that requires the storing and freezing of samples, to:
- Extend the usable life of biological specimens. Eliminating freeze-thaw cycling helps maintain a sample’s biological stability and integrity
- Enhance productivity and service. Automating the preparation of aliquots needed for research studies can increase throughput and reduce lead times. By eliminating the thawing of frozen samples, time and labor required to prepare a sample for distribution is reduced by 80%
- Improve operating costs. Increased throughput and reduced lead time can help re-task resources to other value-added activities. No-thaw processing eliminates the need to freeze samples in aliquot size. Samples could be stored in fewer, larger tubes. On average, it could reduce vials per sample from 10 to 1 or 2, reducing the storage space needed in a biorepository
CryoXtract’s patent-pending technology is, in essence, a specialized rotary drilling system: a hollow drill bit with cutting profile drills a core from a specimen under cryogenic conditions and ejects it from the needle into an empty cryovial. The sample core that is extracted from the source tube is the full length of the tube to account for sedimentation during freezing. The core remains frozen through the process.
Key design requirements were established and tested successfully to support modern biobanking:
- Maintain samples below -40 C pre-, during-, post-coring to prevent frost from forming
- Achieve volumetric consistency (as close to 100µL as possible -- never below)
- Ensure no carryover between samples
- Deliver hands-free operationThe coring needle
Key system components ensure that the automated system meets design goals. These include:
- Coring drill bit
- Thermal control system to maintain cryogenic temperature at or below -40°C and prevent frost buildup on sample surface
- Grip to hold the specimen vial in place
- θ-Z Robot to cap and recap the cryovials and move source and destination tubes into and out of the coring zone
- Plunger to eject the core from the coring drill bit and deposit it into destination vial
- Automated system to clean coring drill bit between deposits
- Cored location-sensing system to recognize previously-cored areas
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