JP2021155058A - Biological sample conveyance container - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a biological sample conveyance container which enables easy insertion and retrieval of a straw shape storage device, and enhances the convenience in conveyance of the straw shape storage device.SOLUTION: A biological sample conveyance container 1 comprises: a container main body 3; a sheath pipe 7 into which a straw shape storage device 13 which is disposed in the container main body 3 and houses a biological sample can be inserted; and a cryogenic liquefied gas adsorptive holding material 9 which is disposed around the sheath pipe 7 and adsorbs and holds cryogenic liquefied gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

In the present invention, a straw-shaped container mainly used for cryopreserving biological samples such as germ cells is maintained at a predetermined temperature (-150 ° C or lower) using liquid nitrogen in a hospital or laboratory. , Related to a biological sample transport container to be portable at a livestock production site or the like.

In the field of livestock and reproductive medicine, when germ cells (sperms, eggs, fertilized eggs) are cryopreserved, a thin tubular straw-shaped storage device like a straw is used. The straw-shaped storage device frozen by the rapid freezing method or the slow freezing method is transported by styrofoam containing liquid nitrogen, stored in a cryopreservation container, and cryopreserved.
Also, when taking out the straw-shaped storage device from the cryopreservation container, styrofoam containing liquid nitrogen is prepared and transported to the thawing work place.
However, there is a problem that it is inconvenient to use Styrofoam containing liquid nitrogen when transporting the straw-shaped storage device.

On the other hand, as a container with enhanced convenience for transporting a biological sample, for example, there is a "biological sample transport container" disclosed in Patent Document 1.
The internal structure of this "biological sample transport container" is configured on the assumption that a cylindrical sample container such as a vial or an ampoule is transported.

JP-A-2017-165487

Given the high demand for improving the convenience of transporting straw-shaped storage devices, it is conceivable to use the "biological sample transport container" of Patent Document 1.
However, the biological sample transport container of Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a hole for inserting a cylindrical sample container is provided in a sheet-shaped liquid nitrogen absorbent material laminated and arranged inside the container, so that it is a vial or a vial. There are the following problems in applying it to a straw-shaped container with a diameter smaller than that of an ampoule.

By repeatedly inserting and removing the straw-shaped storage device, the sheet-shaped liquid nitrogen absorber may shift and hit the tip of the straw-shaped storage device to damage the straw-shaped storage device or break the straw-shaped storage device.
In addition, due to repeated use, debris from the liquid nitrogen absorber is generated, and when the liquid nitrogen is filled in the biological sample transport container, the debris is mixed when the excess liquid nitrogen that has floated above is returned to the container and inside the container. There is also the problem of contaminating liquid nitrogen.
Further, there is a concern that the storage operation cannot be performed smoothly due to the damage of the straw-shaped storage tool, which causes the temperature of the biological sample to rise and damages the biological sample.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a biological sample transport container that facilitates insertion and removal of the straw-shaped storage tool and enhances the convenience of transporting the straw-shaped storage tool. There is.

(1) The biological sample transport container according to the present invention is provided around a container body, a sheath tube in which a straw-shaped storage device for storing a biological sample can be inserted, and a sheath tube arranged in the container body. It is characterized in that it is provided with an extremely low temperature liquefied gas adsorption and holding material which is arranged and adsorbs and holds an extremely low temperature liquefied gas.

(2) Further, in the one described in (1) above, the sheath tube is a plurality of tubes and the lower end is fixed, and the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material is a plurality of sheath tubes into which the sheath tubes can be inserted. It is characterized in that a plurality of sheet-like materials having the above-mentioned holes are laminated.

(3) Further, in the one described in (1) or (2) above, the sheath tube fixture for fixing the lower end portion of the sheath tube is provided at the bottom of the container body.

(4) Further, in any one of the above (1) to (3), a sheath tube holder which is arranged on the upper surface of the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material and holds the upper end portion of the sheath tube. The sheath tube holder is characterized by having a notch or a hole for exposing the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material.

In the present invention, by providing a sheath tube in the container body into which the straw-shaped storage device for storing the biological sample can be inserted, the straw-shaped storage device and the ultra-low temperature liquefied gas adsorption holding material do not come into contact with each other. The straw-shaped storage tool can be easily inserted and removed, and the convenience of transporting the straw-shaped storage tool can be enhanced.

It is sectional drawing of the biological sample transport container which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the appearance of the biological sample transport container shown in FIG. It is a top view of the heat-shielding pipe arranged in the biological sample transport container shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the state in which the sheath tube arranged in the biological sample transport container shown in FIG. 1 is erected on the sheath tube fixture. It is a perspective view of the state in which the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material is laminated. It is a top view of the sheath tube holder arranged in the biological sample transport container shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of the inside in the state which removed the lid body of the biological sample transport container shown in FIG. It is a top view of the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material arranged inside the biological sample transport container shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the biological sample transport container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a container body 3, a lid body 5, and a sheath tube 7 arranged in the container body 3. A very low temperature liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9 which is arranged around the sheath tube 7 and which adsorbs and holds the extremely low temperature liquefied gas is provided.
Each configuration and the configurations associated therewith will be described in detail.

<Container body>
The container body 3 is a bottomed tubular heat-insulating container, and as shown in FIG. 1, which is a cross section taken along the line AA in FIG. 2, a cylindrical heat-insulating pipe 11 (see FIG. 3) is inside the container body 3. , To fix a plurality of sheath tubes 7 into which a straw-shaped storage device 13 containing a biological sample is inserted, and a sheath tube 7 The sheath tube fixture 15 and the like are housed in the above, and a lid 5 is attached to the upper portion thereof.

A vacuum heat insulating structure made of stainless steel is desirable as the material and structure of the container body 3, but the container body 3 is not limited to the vacuum heat insulating structure, and includes a container whose entire container is made of a heat insulating material (styrofoam, polyurethane, etc.). The shape may be a cylinder, a rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, a polygonal prism, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 1, a tubular heat-insulating pipe 11 made of foamed polyethylene, polyurethane, or the like is installed on the inner peripheral surface of the container body 3, thereby improving heat insulating properties.

<Cover>
As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 5 is detachably provided at the container mouth of the container body 3 to cover the container mouth, has a bottomed tubular shape with an open lower portion, and has a temperature in the center thereof. A sensor mounting portion 17 is formed. The material of the lid 5 is preferably polycarbonate, polypropylene, or Teflon (registered trademark).
A heat insulating material 19 such as polyethylene foam is housed inside the lid 5 to prevent heat from escaping from the lid 5.
A sensor main body 21 and a temperature sensor 23 extending from the sensor main body 21 to measure the temperature are attached to the temperature sensor mounting portion 17.
Since the straw-shaped storage device 13 is extremely thin and sensitive to temperature changes, it is preferable that the temperature sensor 23 has a function of warning by an alarm or the like when the temperature exceeds a certain level, and a temperature logger function.

<Sheath tube>
The sheath tube 7 is a thin tube member that is arranged in the container body 3 and into which a straw-shaped storage tool 13 for storing a biological sample can be inserted. The inner diameter of the sheath tube 7 may be such that the straw-shaped storage tool 13 can be inserted and removed, and for example, the inner diameter may be about 1 mm larger than the outer diameter (2 mm to 4 mm) of the straw-shaped storage tool 13.
The shape of the pipe member may be either a shape in which both ends are open or a shape in which only one end is open.
Since heat is transferred to the straw-shaped storage device 13 via the sheath tube 7, the material of the sheath tube 7 is preferably a material having good thermal conductivity and capable of withstanding extremely low temperatures, for example, a metal such as aluminum. ..

The lower end of the sheath tube 7 is detachably attached to the sheath tube fixture 15, and in the attached state, it can stand on its own as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, eight examples of the sheath tube 7 of the present embodiment are shown, but the number of sheath tubes 7 is not limited and may be one.
However, when a plurality of sheath tubes 7 are installed as in the present embodiment, the positions of the sheath tubes 7 are preferably arranged at equal intervals on concentric circles having a radius intermediate between the center of the container and the inner wall.
Further, it is preferable to use a plurality of sheath tubes 7 because they function as a guide when installing the sheet-shaped cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9. This point will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sheath tube fixture 15 includes an aluminum disk 25 provided with a sheath tube fixing hole 25a through which the lower end of the sheath tube 7 can be inserted, and a sheath tube 7 inserted through the disk 25. It is configured to be provided with a spring pin 27 for preventing the stopper from coming off. The spring pin 27 functions as a stopper for the sheath tube 7 from coming off from the disk 25 by inserting it into the through hole 7a provided in the tip side wall of the sheath tube 7 (see FIG. 1).
The lower end of the sheath tube 7 may be fixed to the disk 25 by welding or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the sheath tube 7 penetrates the laminated cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9 and its upper end is held by the sheath tube holder 29.
As shown in FIG. 6, the sheath tube holder 29 has a sheath tube holding hole 29a through which the upper end of the sheath tube 7 can be inserted, and the cryogenic gas adsorption holding material 9 is exposed on the outer peripheral portion. A plurality of arc-shaped notches 29b are provided.
The sheath tube holding hole 29a provided in the sheath tube holder 29 is provided at a position corresponding to the sheath tube fixing hole 25a provided in the disk 25 of the sheath tube fixing tool 15 in the vertical direction. In the installed state, the lower end of No. 7 is fixed to the sheath tube fixture 15, and the upper end is inserted into the sheath tube holder 29 so as to stand upright.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, each sheath tube holding hole 29a is numbered to enable the classification of the sheath tube 7, and the type of straw-shaped storage tool 13 inserted into the sheath tube 7. It is possible to identify.

The notch 29b in the sheath tube holder 29 is for exposing the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9 arranged below, and is cut when the cryogenic liquefied gas is replenished from above the sheath tube holder 29. Cryogenic liquefied gas easily penetrates through the notch 29b.
The passage path for the cryogenic liquefied gas provided in the sheath tube holder 29 is not limited to the notch, but may be a hole, and the shape thereof does not matter.
However, as in the sheath tube holder 29 of the present embodiment, by forming a gear shape in which notches on the arc are provided at predetermined intervals on the outer peripheral portion of the disk, other than the notches 29b in the sheath tube holder 29. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the portion of is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container body 3 in the installed state. Therefore, by installing the sheath tube holder 29 in the container body 3, the radial position of the insertion hole 29b is automatically positioned. Therefore, if the upper end of the sheath tube 7 erected on the sheath tube fixing tool 15 is inserted into the insertion hole 29b of the sheath tube holder 29 and the sheath tube fixing tool 15 is installed in the container body 3, the sheath tube 7 can be formed. It becomes an upright state.

A temperature sensor insertion hole 29c for inserting the temperature sensor 23 is provided in the center of the sheath tube holder 29 (see FIGS. 6 and 7).
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the length of the sheath tube 7 is such that the upper end thereof extends upward from the sheath tube holder 29 in a state of being arranged in the container body 3. Further, it is preferable that about 30 mm above the inserted straw-shaped storage tool 13 extends from the sheath tube 7 so that the inserted straw-shaped storage tool 13 can be easily taken out (see FIG. 7).

<Cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material>
The cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption / holding material 9 is a sheet-like material for adsorbing and holding a cryogenic liquefied gas such as liquid nitrogen contained in the container body 3 to keep the sample in a cold state.
As the material of the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption and holding material 9, a material that is easy to mold and process with a mold or the like and has a high ability to absorb liquid nitrogen, for example, polypropylene or the like is preferable.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption / holding material 9 of the present embodiment is circular and has eight sheath tube insertion holes 9a concentrically provided on the periphery thereof through which the sheath tube 7 can be inserted. Is provided with a temperature sensor insertion hole 9b for inserting the temperature sensor 23.

A method of using the biological sample transport container 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
The lower end of the sheath tube 7 is inserted into the sheath tube fixing hole 25a of the aluminum disk 25 to stand upright, and the spring pin 27 is used to prevent the sheath tube 7 from coming off (see FIG. 4).
A plurality of cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption and holding materials 9 are attached to the erected sheath tube 7. When the ultra-low temperature liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9 is attached, the sheath tube 7 is inserted into the sheath tube insertion hole 9a provided in the ultra-low temperature liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9 and moved downward in order to form the sheath tube 7. It can be easily laminated as a guide.

After laminating a predetermined number of cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding materials 9, the sheath tube holder 29 is installed as shown in FIG. The container in the state shown in FIG. 5 is housed in the container body 3 to which the heat insulating pipe 11 is mounted. In the stored state, as shown in FIG. 7, the inner surface of the container body 3 is in contact with the sheath tube holder 29, and the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9 is exposed from the notch 29b.
In this state, the container body 3 is filled with a cryogenic liquefied gas such as liquid nitrogen. At the time of filling, the cryogenic liquefied gas can be easily impregnated into the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9 from the notch 29b portion.
Then, the straw-shaped storage device 13 containing the biological sample is inserted into the sheath tube 7, and the lid 5 is attached to the container body 3.

As described above, in the present embodiment, by providing the sheath tube 7 into which the straw-shaped storage tool 13 can be inserted and removed, the straw-shaped storage tool 13 can be easily inserted and removed without contacting the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9. can. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, there is no concern about damage to the straw-shaped storage tool 13, no dust is generated from the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9, and there is no concern about contamination by the dust when filling the cryogenic liquefied gas.
Further, since it is not necessary to worry about the damage of the straw-shaped storage tool 13, the storage operation can be smoothly performed, and the damage to the biological sample due to the temperature rise of the biological sample can be prevented.

In the above embodiment, the sheath tube fixing tool 15 for fixing the sheath tube 7 is provided, but in the present invention, the sheath tube fixing tool 15 is not indispensable, and the sheath tube 7 is liquefied at an extremely low temperature. It may be in a state where it is installed in the container body 3 in which the suction holding material 9 is arranged and is not fixed.

1 Biological sample transport container 3 Container body 5 Lid 7 Sheath tube 7a Through hole 9 Extremely low temperature liquefied gas adsorption holding material 9a Sheath tube insertion hole 9b Temperature sensor insertion hole 11 Heat shield pipe 13 Straw-shaped storage tool 15 Sheath tube fixture 17 Temperature Sensor mounting part 19 Insulation material 21 Sensor body part 23 Temperature sensor 25 Disc 25a Sheath tube fixing hole 27 Spring pin 29 Sheath tube holder 29a Sheath tube holding hole 29b Notch 29c Temperature sensor insertion hole

Claims (4)

A container body, a sheath tube in which a straw-shaped storage device for storing a biological sample can be inserted, and a pole arranged around the sheath tube for adsorbing and holding an ultra-low temperature liquefied gas. A biological sample transport container provided with a low-temperature liquefied gas adsorption and holding material. The sheath tube has a plurality of lines and the lower end is fixed, and the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material is a stack of a plurality of sheet-like materials having a plurality of holes into which each sheath tube can be inserted. The biological sample transport container according to claim 1, wherein the biological sample transport container is characterized by the above. The biological sample transport container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a sheath tube fixture for fixing the lower end portion of the sheath tube is provided at the bottom of the container body. It has a sheath tube holder that is arranged on the upper surface of the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material and holds the upper end of the sheath tube, and the sheath tube holder exposes the cryogenic liquefied gas adsorption holding material. The biological sample transport container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a notch or a hole for the purpose.

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