Deformable Cryopreservation Vessel With Flexible Liner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cryopreservation containers are prone to rupture due to liquid nitrogen contamination, leading to contamination and reduced viability of biological materials during thawing, as they require immersion in a water bath for thawing, which can cause osmotic changes and contamination.
Innovation Solution
The development of cryopreservation vessels with a deformable interior chamber and a flexible liner that allows for the ejection of frozen biological material into a receiving vessel at 37°C without thawing, reducing the risk of container rupture and contamination, and enabling manipulation of the material while still frozen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional cryopreservation containers are used and immersed in water bath for thawing, then the biological material can be thawed, but the container is prone to rupture and contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into two functional parts: a rigid outer shell for structural support and a flexible inner liner for sample containment. This segmentation allows the inner liner to deform during ejection while the outer shell maintains overall container integrity and resists rupture during thawing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner liner is made of flexible material that can deform under compression to eject the frozen sample while maintaining containment integrity. This flexible shell design allows the liner to accommodate the ejection force without causing container rupture, solving the reliability issue while enabling easy operation.
2Ease of operation
If traditional cryopreservation containers are used and immersed in water bath for thawing, then the biological material can be thawed, but contamination occurs and viability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The frozen sample is extracted from the container in its frozen state through the ejection mechanism, eliminating the need for water bath immersion. This extraction approach removes the sample from the contamination risk environment entirely, allowing direct transfer to the receiving vessel without exposure to water bath contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The ejection mechanism is activated before the thawing process begins, ejecting the frozen sample directly into the receiving vessel. This preliminary action prevents the sample from ever needing to be immersed in a water bath, thereby eliminating contamination risks and preserving biological material viability.
3Reliability
If the frozen sample is ejected directly into receiving vessel without thawing, then contamination is minimized and viability is increased, but the material must be manipulative while frozen
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible inner liner can be compressed and deformed to eject the frozen sample as a cohesive unit. This flexibility allows the ejection mechanism to work with the frozen material's physical state, maintaining sample integrity during transfer without requiring thawing, thus preserving viability while enabling operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible liner acts as an intermediary between the ejection force and the frozen sample. It transmits the ejection force uniformly to the frozen material, allowing manipulation and ejection of the frozen sample as a unified structure without damaging it, thereby maintaining viability while enabling ease of operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces the risk of container rupture, minimizes contamination, and increases the viability of cryopreserved biological materials by eliminating the need for a water bath thawing process, allowing for efficient and contamination-free transfer of frozen samples into a culture medium.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible liner situated within the interior cavity... The flexible liner can be compressed or squeezed to deform the inner bag
Implementation Method 2
freezing the liquid sample to a solid sample
Data Source
AI summary
An article including, either: a frame having an interior cavity, and a flexible liner situated within the interior cavity; or a deformable frame having an interior cavity, as defined herein. Either frame can receive a sample, such as liquid having suspended live cells, and cooling freezes the sample to a solid sample. The solid sample can be readily ejected from the article having either a frame with the flexible liner, or the deformable frame, without extensive thawing. The solid sample can be rapidly displaced from the article by the methods and apparatus disclosed herein.