Pre-freezing rack and pre-freezing method

Abstract

To provide a pre-freezing rack capable of properly pre-freezing a biological specimen enclosed in a bag.SOLUTION: A pre-freezing rack 1A used when cooling a flexible bag B from a normal temperature to a prescribed temperature and pre-freezing a biological specimen, before cryopreserving the biological specimen enclosed in the bag B, comprises a holder 2 for holding the bag B. The holder 2 includes a pair of holding plates 4a and 4b facing each other, and a structure for clamping the bag B between the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b. A packaging box C for storing the bag B covers over the holder 2 holding the bag B. The holding plates 4a and 4b include, at tip end sides thereof, protrusion parts 13 coming into contact with an inner surface of the packaging box C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a prefreezing rack and a prefreezing method using such a prefreezing rack. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, biological samples (hereinafter simply referred to as "samples") such as blood, sperm from laboratory animals, fertilized eggs, and cells are used in the development of new drugs and basic medical research. Samples deteriorate due to biological effects at room temperature. For this reason, samples are generally sealed in flexible bags and frozen and preserved using a cryopreservation device. As a cryopreservation device, a cryopreservation device that uses liquid nitrogen is widely used because it allows stable storage for long periods of time (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below).

[0003] When the above-mentioned samples are cryopreserved at low temperatures, for example, below -150° C., it is known that the survival rate of cells decreases when the sample at room temperature is rapidly cooled to -150° C. For this reason, before cryopreserving the sample, the sample sealed in a bag is pre-frozen by controlling the cooling rate from room temperature to a predetermined temperature (for example, -80° C.) using a cooling means such as a programmable freezer, dry ice, or a mechanical freezer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-136597 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-83935 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the above-mentioned cryopreservation device is required to freeze and preserve a large amount of samples, so a pre-freezing rack that stores a plurality of bags is used, and the pre-freezing rack is placed inside a programmable freezer or the like to pre-freeze the samples sealed in each bag together.

[0006] However, in the bag in which the above-mentioned sample is enclosed, the thickness becomes uneven, and when the bag is cooled from room temperature to a predetermined temperature, temperature unevenness occurs, which deteriorates the preservation properties of the sample. Furthermore, when multiple bags are cooled together, temperature unevenness also occurs between the bags.

[0007] In particular, when the bags are cooled while still stored in the packaging box in which they will be distributed, the occurrence of the above-mentioned temperature unevenness becomes more pronounced.On the other hand, when the bags are transferred to the packaging box after preliminary freezing, there is a concern that the temperature of the bags will rise, causing a deterioration in the quality of the samples and increasing the labor load.

[0008] The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a prefreezing rack that enables appropriate prefreezing of biological samples sealed in a bag, and a prefreezing method using such a prefreezing rack. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means. [1] A prefreezing rack used to prefreeze a biological sample sealed in a flexible bag by cooling the bag from room temperature to a predetermined temperature before the biological sample is frozen and stored, comprising: A holder for holding the bag is provided. the holder has a pair of holding plates facing each other and has a structure in which the bag is sandwiched between the pair of holding plates, A packaging box for storing the bag is placed on the holder holding the bag, A preliminary freezing rack, characterized in that a protrusion is provided on the tip side of the holding plate for abutting against the inner surface of the packaging box. [2] The preliminary freezing rack according to [1], characterized in that the protrusions are provided on the tip sides of each of the pair of holding plates. [3] A preliminary freezing rack according to [1] or [2], characterized in that the tip side of the protrusion is inclined. [4] The preliminary freezing rack described in any one of [1] to [3], wherein the pair of holding plates are parallel to each other when the bag is sandwiched between the pair of holding plates. [5] The preliminary freezing rack described in [4], wherein the holder clamps the bag between the pair of holding plates in a state where the pair of holding plates are parallel to each other while flexing and deforming at least one of the pair of holding plates in a direction approaching the other holding plate relatively. [6] The preliminary freezing rack according to [5], characterized in that the holder is made of sheet metal bent via a bending portion between the pair of holding plates. [7] A window portion is provided on the side where the bent portion is provided, The bag is inserted between the pair of holding plates from the side opposite to the side where the bent portion is provided, The preliminary freezing rack described in [6], wherein a tool for pushing out the bag sandwiched between the pair of holding plates is inserted through the window portion. [8] The preliminary freezing rack according to [7], characterized in that the packaging box is placed over the holder holding the bag from the side opposite to the side on which the folded portion is provided. [9] The preliminary freezing rack described in any one of [1] to [8], wherein the holder is arranged such that the pair of holding plates are arranged in a row in the opposing direction.

[10] An adapter having a plurality of clips arranged in a row to hold the packaging box corresponding to each of the plurality of holders, The preliminary freezing rack described in [9], wherein the packaging box is placed over the multiple holders holding the bags via the adapter.

[11] The preliminary freezing rack described in

[10] , characterized in that the clip has a pair of elastic plates facing each other and is structured to sandwich the packaging box between the pair of elastic plates.

[12] The preliminary freezing rack according to

[11] , wherein the clip has a shape in which the tip sides of the pair of elastic plates are bent in a direction in which they spread apart.

[13] A method for prefreezing a biological sample sealed in a flexible bag, by cooling the bag from room temperature to a predetermined temperature before cryopreserving the biological sample, comprising: Using the preliminary freezing rack described in any one of [1] to

[12] above, A pre-freezing method, characterized in that the biological sample is pre-frozen while the bag is cooled by placing a packaging box for storing the bag over the holder holding the bag and housing the pre-freezing rack inside a cooling device having a cooling function. Effect of the Invention

[0010] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pre-freezing rack that enables appropriate pre-freezing of a biological sample sealed in a bag, and a pre-freezing method using such a pre-freezing rack. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B show the configuration of a preliminary freezing rack according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a perspective view seen from the front side, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view seen from the rear side. [Diagram 2] 2A and 2B show the configuration of the holder of the preliminary freezing rack shown in FIG. 1, where (a) is an oblique view from the rear side, (b) is an oblique view from the front side, (c) is a front view, (d) is a side view, and (e) is a rear view. [Diagram 3]2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a bag is being inserted into a holder provided in the preliminary freezing rack shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holder into which the bag shown in FIG. 3 is inserted is inserted into a packaging box held by a clip provided on an adapter. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a packaging box is placed over the holder holding the bag shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the preliminary freezing rack shown in FIG. 5 is housed inside a programmable freezer. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a bag held by the holder shown in FIG. 6 is pushed out by a jig. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the holder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the drawings used in the following description may show characteristic parts in an enlarged scale for the sake of convenience in order to make the characteristics easier to understand, and the dimensional ratios of each component may not necessarily be the same as in reality. Furthermore, the materials, dimensions, etc. exemplified in the following description are merely examples, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to them, and may be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope of the present invention.

[0013] [Back-up freezing rack] First, as one embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of a preliminary freezing rack (hereinafter simply referred to as a "rack") 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 will be described.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the rack 1, where (a) is a perspective view seen from the front side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the back side. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the holder 2 included in the rack 1, where (a) is a perspective view seen from the back side, (b) is a perspective view seen from the front side, (c) is a front view, (d) is a side view, and (e) is a back view. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a bag B is inserted into the holder 2 included in the rack 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holder 2 into which the bag B shown in FIG. 3 is inserted is inserted into a packaging box C held by a clip 21 included in the adapter 20. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the packaging box C is covered over the holder 2 holding the bag B shown in FIG. 4.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1(a) and (b), the rack 1 of this embodiment is suitable for use in pre-freezing a biological sample (hereinafter simply referred to as a "sample") enclosed in a flexible bag B by cooling the bag B from room temperature to a predetermined temperature before cryopreserving the sample.

[0016] Specifically, this rack 1 includes a plurality of holders 2 for holding bags B, and a rack body 3 for storing the plurality of holders 2 arranged vertically (in the height direction).

[0017] 2(a) to 2(e), the holder 2 has a pair of holding plates 4a, 4b facing each other, and a bent portion 5 bent between the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b. In this embodiment, the side of the holder 2 on which the bent portion 5 is provided is the back side of the holder 2, and the opposite side is the front side of the holder 2.

[0018] The holder 2 is made of a metal plate having excellent thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and is bent at a bent portion 2c between a pair of holding plates 4a, 4b, so that the holder 2 has a generally flattened rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole.

[0019] The holder 2 has a clip structure for clamping the bag B between a pair of opposing holding plates 4a, 4b.

[0020] Specifically, the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b are formed in a rectangular flat plate shape that matches each other. The bent portion 5 has a back plate portion 5a that forms the back surface of the holder 2, and a pair of bent portions 5b, 5c that are bent along the upper and lower edge portions of the back plate portion 5a.

[0021] The pair of bent portions 5b, 5c are bent toward the back plate portion 5a such that their tip ends approach each other. The pair of holding plates 4a, 4b are bent along the edge portions of the tip sides of the pair of bent portions 5b, 5c so as to face each other. As a result, the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b have a shape that is expanded from the base end (the back surface of the holder 2) where the bent portion 5 is provided toward the tip (the front surface of the holder 2).

[0022] A protrusion 13 is provided on each of the tip ends of the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b. The protrusion 13 extends in the width direction along the tip ends of the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b and protrudes from the surface (outer surface) opposite to the mutually opposing surfaces (inner surfaces) of the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b. In this embodiment, the protrusion 13 is a protruding portion having a substantially trapezoidal shape in a cross-sectional view.

[0023] Further, a surface (hereinafter, referred to as an "inclined surface") 13a on the tip side of the protruding portion 13 is inclined. That is, the inclined surface 13a is inclined toward the tip portions of the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b with respect to the flat upper surface 13b of the protruding portion 13.

[0024] In the holder 2, at least one of the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b can be flexibly deformed in a direction approaching the other holding plate relatively. In this embodiment, the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b can be flexibly deformed in a direction approaching each other.

[0025] Further, a window portion 6 is provided on the rear surface side of the holder 2. The window portion 6 is provided to open in a substantially rectangular shape across the width direction of the back plate portion 5a.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1(a) and (b), the rack body 3 has a back panel 7a that forms its rear surface, a pair of side panels 7b, 7c that form both sides of the back panel, and a top panel 7d that forms its upper surface, and has a frame structure with openings on the front and bottom sides.

[0027] The rack body 3 is made of sheet metal with excellent thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and is bent between a back plate 7a and a pair of side plates 7b, 7c, and a top plate 7d is attached by welding or the like, so that the rack body 3 has an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the vertical direction overall.

[0028] A plurality of holders 2 are stored inside the rack body 3, lined up at equal intervals in the vertical direction. Each holder 2 is fixed to the rack body 3 by attaching the back plate portion 5a to the back plate 7a of the rack body 3 by welding or the like. As a result, the holders 2 are lined up in a row in the direction in which the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b face each other (in this embodiment, the vertical direction of the rack body 3) with their rear sides supported as cantilevers.

[0029] A plurality of windows 8 are arranged vertically on the rear surface of the rack body 3. The windows 8 are provided in a substantially rectangular shape across the width of the back plate 7a so as to coincide with the windows 6 of the holders 2 described above.

[0030] An opening 9 is provided on both side surfaces of the rack body 3. The opening 9 is provided in a substantially rectangular shape and opens across the vertical direction of the pair of side plates 7b, 7c.

[0031] A handle 10 is provided on the top surface of the rack body 3. The handle 10 is attached to the top plate 7d by welding or the like. This makes it possible to carry the rack body 3 in the rack 1 while holding the handle 10.

[0032] In the rack 1 of this embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration, first, as shown in Fig. 3, a bag B is inserted between the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b from the front side of each holder 2. At this time, since the tip sides of the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b of each holder 2 are spread apart, it is easy to insert the bag B between the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b.

[0033] 4, each holder 2 into which the bag B has been inserted is covered with a packaging box C via an adapter 20. The packaging box C is a carton made of paper, resin, or the like, in which the bag B is stored after preliminary freezing.

[0034] The adapter 20 includes a plurality of clips 21 arranged in the vertical direction (height direction) corresponding to the plurality of holders 2 arranged in the vertical direction (height direction) of the rack body 3. The adapter 20 is made of sheet metal with excellent thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and has a structure in which the plurality of clips 21 are connected to each other via a back plate 20a that constitutes the back surface of the adapter 20. In this embodiment, the side of the adapter 20 on which the back plate 20a is provided is described as the back side of the adapter 20, and the opposite side is described as the front side of the adapter 20.

[0035] The clip 21 has a pair of elastic plates 22a, 22b facing each other, and has a structure in which a packaging box C is sandwiched between the pair of elastic plates 22a, 22b. In the clip 21, when the packaging box C is sandwiched between the pair of elastic plates 22a, 22b, the pair of elastic plates 22a, 22b are flexibly deformed in a direction separating them from each other, so that the pair of elastic plates 22a, 22b are biased in a direction in which they sandwich the packaging box C (in a direction in which they approach each other).

[0036] As a result, in the adapter 20, the packaging box C can be stably held by each clip 21. The packaging box C is held by each clip 21 with its opening side facing the front side of the adapter 20.

[0037] Moreover, the clip 21 has a shape in which the tip sides of the pair of elastic plates 22a, 22b are bent in a direction to expand, which makes it easier for the packaging box C to be inserted between the pair of elastic plates 22a, 22b.

[0038] In the rack 1 of this embodiment, when the packaging box C held by each clip 21 of the adapter 20 is placed over each holder 2 into which a bag B is inserted, the tip side of each holder 2 is inserted into the inside of the packaging box C through the opening of the packaging box C held by each clip 21.

[0039] At this time, in each holder 2, the inclined surface 13a of the protruding portion 13 is in sliding contact with the open end of the packaging box C, and the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b are flexibly deformed in directions in which they approach each other.

[0040] Thereafter, the holder 2 is inserted into the inside of the packaging box C through the opening of the packaging box C, so that the upper surface (hereinafter referred to as the "contact surface") 13b of the protrusion 13 comes into contact with the inner surface of the packaging box C. As a result, in each holder 2, the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b are flexed and deformed in a direction approaching each other, and the bag B is sandwiched between the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b.

[0041] 5, each holder 2 holding the bag B is covered with a packaging box C via an adapter 20. At this time, in each holder 2, the bag B is sandwiched between a pair of holding plates 4a, 4b, and the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b are parallel to each other.

[0042] As a result, in the rack 1 of this embodiment, it is possible for the holders 2 to hold the bag B while maintaining a uniform thickness of the bag B. Therefore, in the rack 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness when the bag B is cooled from room temperature to a predetermined temperature.

[0043] In addition, in the present invention, "the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b are parallel to each other when the bag B is sandwiched" is not limited to the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b remaining completely parallel, but also allows for the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b to be slightly non-parallel to the extent that the objective of maintaining the thickness of the bag B uniform can be achieved.

[0044] [Pre-freezing method] Next, a preliminary freezing method using the above-mentioned rack 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0045] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rack 1 shown in Fig. 5 is housed inside the programmable freezer PF. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the bag B held by the holder 2 shown in Fig. 6 is pushed out by a jig T.

[0046] In the preliminary freezing method using the rack 1 of this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 5 described above, the rack 1 is prepared in a state in which a packaging box C is placed over the holder 2 holding the bag B via the adapter 20.

[0047] Next, as shown in Fig. 6, the rack 1 is placed inside a programmable freezer PF, which is a cooling device having a cooling function. This allows the bag B to be cooled from room temperature to a predetermined temperature (e.g., -80°C) while controlling the cooling rate. This makes it possible to pre-freeze the sample sealed in the bag B.

[0048] Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the rack 1 housed inside the programmable freezer PF is taken out, and then the adapter 20 is removed from the rack 1.

[0049] Then, a jig T is inserted through each window 8 of the rack body 3 and through the window 6 of each holder 2. This allows the bag B held in each holder 2 to be pushed out from the front side of the holder 2 by the jig T, and the bag B can be removed from the holder 2 while remaining stored in the packaging box C.

[0050] As described above, in the pre-freezing method using the rack 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to hold the bag B with each holder 2 while maintaining the thickness of the bag B described above uniform, so that it is possible to properly pre-freeze the sample sealed in the bag B while suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness when the bag B is cooled from room temperature to a predetermined temperature.

[0051] Furthermore, in the pre-freezing method using the rack 1 of this embodiment, after pre-freezing, the bag B held in the holder 2 can be quickly and easily transferred to the packaging box C, thereby making it possible to prevent the temperature of the bag B from rising and causing a deterioration in the quality of the sample.

[0052] Furthermore, even if bag B is stored in a packaging box C with low thermal conductivity, such as a paper or resin carton, the sample sealed in bag B can be quickly cooled and pre-frozen.

[0053] The present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the rack 1 is not necessarily limited to the configuration of the holder 2 described above, and may be configured as shown in FIGS. 8(A) to 8(D).

[0054] That is, the holder 2 may have a configuration in which a protrusion 13A is provided at the center on the tip side of the holding plates 4a and 4b, as shown in FIG. 8(A).

[0055] Furthermore, the holder 2 may have a configuration in which a plurality of protrusions 13B are provided in a line along the tip ends of the holding plates 4a and 4b, as shown in FIG. 8(B).

[0056] Furthermore, the holder 2 may be configured such that, as shown in FIG. 8(C), the protruding portion 13C is provided with a folded portion in which the tip sides of the holding plates 4a and 4b are folded back to form the inclined surface 13a.

[0057] 8(D), the holder 2 may have only one (upper in this embodiment) bent portion 5b constituting the bent portion 5. By omitting the other (lower in this embodiment) bent portion 5c, one (upper in this embodiment) holding plate 4a is bent along the edge portion on the tip side of one bent portion 5b, and the other (lower in this embodiment) holding plate 4b is bent along the lower edge portion of the back plate portion 5a.

[0058] As a result, in the holder 2 shown in Figure 8 (D), it is possible to sandwich the bag B between the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b in a state where one holding plate 4a is flexibly deformed in a direction approaching the other holding plate 4b, while the pair of holding plates 4a, 4b are parallel to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1A to 1E... spare freezing rack 2... holder 3... rack body 4a, 4b... pair of holding plates 5... bending portion 6... window portion 7a... back plate 7b, 7c... pair of side plates 7d... top plate 8... window portion 9... opening 10... handle portion 11... hinge portion 12... fixing device 13, 13A to 13C... protruding portion 13a... inclined surface 13b... abutment surface 20... adapter 21... clip 22a, 22b... pair of elastic plates B... bag C... packaging box T... jig

Claims

1. A pre-freezing rack used when pre-freezing a biological sample sealed in a flexible bag by cooling the bag from room temperature to a predetermined temperature before the biological sample is frozen and stored, comprising: The rack includes a plurality of holders for holding the bags, a rack body for storing the plurality of holders, and a packaging box for storing the bags held by the holders together with the holders, the holder has a pair of holding plates facing each other, and has a structure in which the bag is sandwiched by inserting the bag between the pair of holding plates from a tip side, which is one end of the holding plates; The packaging box for storing the bag is placed on the holder holding the bag, and A preliminary freezing rack characterized in that a protrusion is provided at the tip side of the holding plate, which protrudes in the thickness direction of the holding plate from the outer surface opposite the inner surfaces where the pair of holding plates face each other, and abuts against the inner surface of the packaging box covering the holder.

2. 2. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions are provided on the tip ends of the pair of holding plates.

3. 3. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the protrusion is inclined.

4. 4. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 1, wherein the pair of holding plates are parallel to each other when the bag is sandwiched between the pair of holding plates.

5. 5. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 4, wherein the holder sandwiches the bag between the pair of holding plates in a state in which the pair of holding plates are parallel to each other while flexing and deforming at least one of the pair of holding plates in a direction approaching the other holding plate relatively.

6. 6. A preliminary freezing rack according to claim 5, wherein the holder is made of a metal plate bent at a bending portion between the pair of holding plates.

7. Further comprising a jig for pushing out the bag, A window portion is provided on the side where the bent portion is provided, The bag is inserted between the pair of holding plates from the side opposite to the side where the bent portion is provided, 7. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 6, wherein the jig is inserted so as to push out the bag sandwiched between the pair of holding plates through the window portion.

8. 8. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 7, wherein the packaging box is placed on the holder holding the bag from the side opposite to the side on which the bent portion is provided.

9. 9. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 1, wherein the holders are arranged in a plurality of rows on the rack body in a direction in which the pair of holding plates face each other.

10. an adapter having a plurality of clips arranged in a row to hold the packaging box in correspondence with each of the plurality of holders; 10. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 9, wherein the packaging box is placed over the holders holding the bags via the adapter.

11. 11. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 10, wherein the clip has a pair of elastic plates facing each other and is structured to sandwich the packaging box between the pair of elastic plates.

12. 12. The preliminary freezing rack according to claim 11, wherein the clip has a shape in which the tip sides of the pair of elastic plates are bent in a direction in which they spread apart.

13. A pre-freezing method for pre-freezing a biological sample sealed in a flexible bag by cooling the bag from room temperature to a predetermined temperature before cryopreserving the biological sample, comprising: Using the preliminary freezing rack according to any one of claims 1 to 12, A pre-freezing method, characterized in that the biological sample is pre-frozen while the bag is cooled by placing a packaging box for storing the bag over the holder holding the bag and housing the pre-freezing rack inside a cooling device having a cooling function.

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