JP2023070964A - Pre-freezing rack and pr-freezing method - Google Patents

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

The present invention relates to pre-freezing racks and methods of pre-freezing using such pre-freezing racks.

For example, in the development of new drugs and basic medical research, biological samples (hereinafter simply referred to as "samples") such as blood, sperm of experimental animals, fertilized eggs, and cells are used. Samples degrade at normal temperatures due to biological action. For this reason, it is common to cryopreserve the sample sealed in a flexible bag using a cryopreservation device or the like. As a cryopreservation device, a cryopreservation device using liquid nitrogen is widely used because it can be stored stably for a long period of time (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2 below).

It is known that when the above-mentioned sample is cryopreserved at a low temperature of -150°C or below, rapid cooling of the sample at room temperature to -150°C reduces the viability of the cells. For this reason, before cryopreserving the sample, for example, using a cooling means such as a program freezer, dry ice, or a mechanical refrigerator, the cooling rate is controlled from normal temperature to a predetermined temperature (eg, -80 ° C). It has been practiced to pre-freeze samples sealed in

JP 2009-136597 A JP 2021-83935 A

By the way, the cryopreservation apparatus described above is required to cryopreserve a large amount of samples. For this reason, pre-freezing racks that store a plurality of bags side by side are used, the pre-freezing racks are housed inside a program freezer, etc., and the samples sealed in each bag are pre-frozen together. It is

However, since the thickness of the bag in which the sample is enclosed is not uniform, temperature unevenness occurs when the bag is cooled from room temperature to a predetermined temperature, and the storage stability of the sample deteriorates. Moreover, when cooling a plurality of bags collectively, temperature unevenness also occurs between the bags.

In particular, when the bag is cooled while being housed in a packaging box, which is a form of distribution, the occurrence of the above-described temperature unevenness becomes more pronounced. On the other hand, when the bag is transferred to the packaging box after pre-freezing, there is concern that the temperature of the bag will rise, leading to deterioration of sample quality and increased labor load.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of such conventional circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide a pre-freezing method using a freezing rack.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
[1] Pre-freezing used for pre-freezing a biological sample enclosed in a flexible bag by cooling the bag from room temperature to a predetermined temperature before cryopreserving the biological sample. a rack for
A holder for holding the bag,
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,
The holder holding the bag is covered with a packaging box for housing the bag,
The pre-freezing rack is characterized in that a protruding portion that abuts against an inner surface of the packaging box is provided on the leading end side of the holding plate.
[2] The pre-freezing rack according to [1], wherein the protrusions are provided on the tip sides of the pair of holding plates, respectively.
[3] The pre-freezing rack according to [1] or [2], wherein the tip side of the projecting portion is inclined.
[4] The pre-freezing rack according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the pair of holding plates are parallel to each other when the bag is sandwiched between them.
[5] The holder flexibly deforms at least one of the pair of holding plates in a direction in which the other holding plate approaches relatively, and the pair of holding plates are parallel to each other. 4. The pre-freezing rack according to [4], wherein the bag is sandwiched between the pair of holding plates.
[6] The pre-freezing rack according to [5], wherein the holder is made of sheet metal bent between the pair of holding plates via a bent portion.
[7] A window is provided on the side on which the bent portion is provided,
the bag is inserted between the pair of holding plates from the side opposite to the side on which the bent portion is provided;
The pre-freezing rack according to [6] above, wherein a jig for pushing out the bag sandwiched between the pair of holding plates is inserted through the window.
[8] The pre-freezing rack according to [7], wherein the holder holding the bag is covered with the packaging box from the side opposite to the side on which the bent portion is provided. .
[9] The pre-freezing rack according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein a plurality of the holders are arranged side by side in the direction in which the pair of holding plates face each other.
[10] An adapter provided with a plurality of clips for holding the packaging box corresponding to each of the plurality of holders,
The pre-freezing rack according to [9] above, wherein the packaging box is put over the plurality of holders holding the bags via the adapter.
[11] The pre-freezing rack according to [10], wherein the clip has a pair of elastic plates facing each other, and has a structure in which the packaging box is sandwiched between the pair of elastic plates.
[12] The pre-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 expand.
[13] A pre-freezing method for pre-freezing a biological sample sealed in a flexible bag by cooling the bag from normal temperature to a predetermined temperature before cryopreserving the biological sample, ,
Using the pre-freezing rack according to any one of [1] to [12],
While the bag is cooled by housing the pre-freezing rack in a cooling device having a cooling function in a state where the holder holding the bag is covered with a packaging box for housing the bag. A pre-freezing method, comprising pre-freezing the biological sample.

As described above, according to the present invention, a pre-freezing rack that enables appropriate pre-freezing of a biological sample enclosed in a bag, and a pre-freezing method using such a pre-freezing rack It is possible to provide

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The structure of the pre-freezing rack which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is the perspective view seen from the front side, (b) is the perspective view seen from the back side. 1 shows the structure of a holder provided in the pre-freezing rack shown in FIG. 1, (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 its side view, and (e) is its rear view. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a bag is inserted into a holder provided in the pre-freezing rack shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holder in which the bag shown in FIG. 3 is inserted is inserted into the packaging box held by the clip provided on the adapter; 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a packaging box is put on the holder holding the bag shown in FIG. 4; FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the pre-freezing rack shown in FIG. 5 is accommodated inside the program freezer; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the bag held by the holder shown in FIG. 6 is pushed out by a jig; It is the perspective view which illustrated the modification of the holder.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In addition, in the drawings used in the following explanation, in order to make the features easier to understand, the characteristic portions may be enlarged for convenience, and the dimensional ratios of each component may not necessarily be the same as the actual ones. do not have. In addition, the materials, dimensions, etc. exemplified in the following description are examples, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to them, and it is possible to implement them by appropriately changing them without changing the gist of the present invention. .

[Rack for pre-freezing]
First, as an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of a pre-freezing rack (hereinafter simply referred to as "rack") 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, for example, will be described.

1 shows the structure of the rack 1, (a) is a perspective view seen from the front side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the rear side. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the holder 2 provided in the rack 1, (a) is a perspective view seen from the rear side, (b) is a perspective view seen from the front side, (c) is a front view thereof, ( d) is its side view, and (e) is its rear view. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the bag B is inserted into the holder 2 of the rack 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holder 2 with the bag B shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the packaging box C is placed over the holder 2 holding the bag B shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the rack 1 of the present embodiment freezes and preserves biological samples (hereinafter simply referred to as "samples") enclosed in flexible bags B. It is preferably used when pre-freezing the sample by cooling the bag B from normal temperature to a predetermined temperature.

Specifically, the rack 1 includes a plurality of holders 2 that hold the bags B, and a rack body 3 that stores the plurality of holders 2 arranged vertically (in the height direction).

As shown in FIGS. 2(a) to 2(e), the holder 2 has a pair of holding plates 4a and 4b facing each other and a bent portion 5 bent between the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b. are doing. In this embodiment, the side of the holder 2 provided with the bent portion 5 is defined as the rear side of the holder 2 , and the opposite side is defined as the front side of the holder 2 .

The holder 2 is made of sheet metal such as aluminum having excellent thermal conductivity, and is bent between a pair of holding plates 4a and 4b via a bent portion 2c to have a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. ing.

The holder 2 has a clip structure that sandwiches the bag B between a pair of holding plates 4a and 4b facing each other.

Specifically, the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b are shaped like rectangular flat plates having shapes that match 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 and 5c that are bent along the upper and lower edge portions of the back plate portion 5a. there is

The pair of bent portions 5b and 5c are bent toward the direction in which the tip sides approach each other with respect to the back plate portion 5a. The pair of holding plates 4a and 4b are bent along the edge portions on the tip side of the pair of bent portions 5b and 5c so as to face each other. As a result, the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b have a shape that expands from the base end (the back surface of the holder 2) where the bent portion 5 is provided toward the tip end (the front surface of the holder 2). there is

Protrusions 13 are provided on the tip sides of the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b, respectively. The protruding portion 13 extends in the width direction along the distal end portions of the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b, and has a surface (outer surface) opposite to the surfaces (inner surfaces) of the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b facing each other. is provided protruding from the In this embodiment, a substantially trapezoidal protrusion is provided as the protrusion 13 in a cross-sectional view.

Further, a surface 13a on the tip side of the protruding portion 13 (hereinafter referred to as "inclined surface") is inclined. That is, the inclined surface 13a is provided so as to incline toward the distal end portions of the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b with respect to the flat upper surface 13b of the projecting portion 13. As shown in FIG.

In the holder 2, at least one of the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b can be flexurally deformed in a direction of relatively approaching the other holding plate. In this embodiment, the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b can be flexurally deformed in a direction in which they approach each other.

A window portion 6 is provided on the rear side of the holder 2 . The window portion 6 is provided so as to open in a substantially rectangular shape over the width direction of the back plate portion 5a.

As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the rack body 3 includes a back plate 7a forming its rear surface, a pair of side plates 7b and 7c forming its side surfaces, and a top plate forming its upper surface. 7d and has a frame structure with its front and bottom sides open.

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

Inside the rack body 3, a plurality of holders 2 are housed in a state of being arranged vertically at regular intervals. 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. Thus, a plurality of holders 2 are provided side by side in the direction in which the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b face each other (the vertical direction of the rack body 3 in this embodiment) with the back sides of the holders 2 being cantilevered.

A plurality of windows 8 are arranged vertically on the rear surface of the rack body 3 . The window portion 8 is provided in a substantially rectangular shape that is open across the width direction of the back plate 7a so as to match the window portion 6 of each holder 2 described above.

Openings 9 are provided on both side surfaces of the rack body 3 . The opening 9 is provided in a substantially rectangular shape over the vertical direction of the pair of side plates 7b and 7c.

A handle portion 10 is provided on the upper surface of the rack body 3 . The handle portion 10 is attached to the top plate 7d by welding or the like. Thus, in the rack 1, it is possible to carry the rack body 3 while gripping the handle portion 10. - 特許庁

In the rack 1 of this embodiment having the above configuration, first, as shown in FIG. 3, the bag B is inserted between the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b from the front side of each holder 2. As shown in FIG. At this time, in each holder 2, since the tip side of the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b is widened, the bag B can be easily inserted between the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, each holder 2 into which the bag B is inserted is covered with the packaging box C through the adapter 20 . The packaging box C consists of a carton made of paper, resin, or the like for storing the bag B after pre-freezing.

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 such as aluminum having excellent thermal conductivity, and has a structure in which a plurality of clips 21 are connected to each other via a back plate 20a forming the back surface of the adapter 20 . In this embodiment, the side on which the back plate 20a of the adapter 20 is provided is the rear side of the adapter 20, and the opposite side is the front side of the adapter 20. As shown in FIG.

The clip 21 has a pair of elastic plates 22a and 22b facing each other, and has a structure in which the packaging box C is sandwiched between the pair of elastic plates 22a and 22b. Further, in the clip 21, when the packaging box C is sandwiched between the pair of elastic plates 22a and 22b, the pair of elastic plates 22a and 22b are flexurally deformed in the direction of separating from each other, so that the pair of elastic plates 22a and 22b are urged in the direction of sandwiching the packaging box C (the direction of approaching each other).

Thus, in the adapter 20, the clips 21 can hold the packaging box C in a stable state. The packaging box C is held by each clip 21 with the opening side facing the front side of the adapter 20 .

Moreover, the clip 21 has a shape in which the distal end sides of the pair of elastic plates 22a and 22b are bent in a direction to expand. Thereby, in the clip 21, the packaging box C can be easily inserted between the pair of elastic plates 22a and 22b.

In the rack 1 of the present embodiment, when the packaging box C held by the clips 21 of the adapter 20 is placed over the holders 2 into which the bags B are inserted, the tip end of each holder 2 is attached to each clip 21. It is inserted into the inside of the packaging box C through the opening of the held packaging box C.

At this time, in each holder 2, the inclined surface 13a of the projecting portion 13 is in sliding contact with the open end of the packaging box C, and the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b are flexurally deformed in a direction toward each other.

After that, when the holder 2 is inserted from the opening of the packaging box C into the inside of the packaging box C, the upper surface (hereinafter referred to as the “contact surface”) 13b of the projecting portion 13 contacts the inner surface of the packaging box C. It will be in a state of being in contact with. As a result, in each holder 2, the bag B is sandwiched between the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b while the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b are flexurally deformed in the direction of approaching each other.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, each holder 2 holding the bag B is covered with the packaging box C through the adapter 20 . At this time, in each holder 2, the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b are parallel to each other while sandwiching the bag B between the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b.

Thus, in the rack 1 of the present embodiment, the bags B can be held by the respective holders 2 while keeping the thickness of the bags B uniform. 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.

In the present invention, "the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b become parallel to each other when the bag B is sandwiched" means that the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b are maintained in a completely parallel state. However, a slightly non-parallel state of the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b is allowed as long as the purpose of keeping the thickness of the bag B uniform can be achieved.

[Preliminary freezing method]
Next, a preliminary freezing method using the rack 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIG.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rack 1 shown in FIG. 5 is accommodated inside the program freezer PF. 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 the jig T. As shown in FIG.

In the pre-freezing method using the rack 1 of the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. Prepare Rack 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the rack 1 is accommodated inside a program freezer PF, which is a cooling device having a cooling function. As a result, the bag B is cooled from room temperature to a predetermined temperature (eg -80° C.) while controlling the cooling rate. This makes it possible to pre-freeze the sample enclosed in the bag B.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the adapter 20 is removed from the rack 1 after the rack 1 accommodated inside the program freezer PF is taken out to the outside.

Thereafter, jigs T are inserted through the windows 8 of the rack body 3 and the windows 6 of the holders 2 . As a result, the bag B held in each holder 2 can be pushed out from the front side of the holder 2 by the jig T, and the bag B can be detached from the holder 2 while being stored in the packaging box C.

As described above, in the pre-freezing method using the rack 1 of the present embodiment, the bags B can be held by the respective holders 2 while the thickness of the bags B is kept uniform. It is possible to appropriately pre-freeze the sample enclosed in the bag B while suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness when the sample is cooled from room temperature to a predetermined temperature.

In addition, in the pre-freezing method using the rack 1 of the present embodiment, the bag B held in the holder 2 can be quickly and easily transferred to the packaging box C after pre-freezing. It is possible to prevent the quality of the sample from deteriorating due to an increase in temperature.

Furthermore, even when the bag B is housed in a packaging box C with low thermal conductivity such as a paper or resin carton, the sample enclosed in the bag B can be rapidly cooled and pre-frozen. is possible.

It should be noted that the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist 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).

That is, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the holder 2 may have a configuration in which a projecting portion 13A is provided in the central portion of the tip side of the holding plates 4a and 4b.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8(B), the holder 2 may have a configuration in which a plurality of projecting portions 13B are provided side by side along the tip portions of the holding plates 4a and 4b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8(C), the holder 2 is provided with a folded portion as a projecting portion 13C in which the tip end sides of the holding plates 4a and 4b are folded back so as to form an inclined surface 13a. good too.

Alternatively, the holder 2 may have only one bent portion 5b (upper side in this embodiment) that constitutes the bent portion 5, as shown in FIG. 8(D). In addition, by omitting the other (lower in this embodiment) bent portion 5c, one (upper in this embodiment) holding plate 4a extends along the edge portion on the tip side of one bent portion 5b. The other (lower in this embodiment) holding plate 4b is bent along the lower edge of the back plate portion 5a.

As a result, in the holder 2 shown in FIG. 8(D), the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b become parallel to each other while the one holding plate 4a is flexurally deformed in a direction approaching the other holding plate 4b. , the bag B can be sandwiched between the pair of holding plates 4a and 4b.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A-1E... Rack for preliminary freezing 2... Holder 3... Rack body 4a, 4b... Pair of holding plates 5... Folding part 6... Window part 7a... Back plate 7b, 7c... Pair of side plates 7d... Top plate 8... Window Part 9... Opening 10... Handle 11... Hinge part 12... Fixing tool 13, 13A to 13C... Protruding part 13a... Inclined surface 13b... Contact surface 20... Adapter 21... Clip 22a, 22b... Pair of elastic plates B... Bag C...Packing box T...Jig

Claims (13)

A pre-freezing rack used for pre-freezing a biological sample enclosed in a flexible bag by cooling the bag from room temperature to a predetermined temperature before cryopreserving the biological sample. There is
A holder for holding the bag,
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,
The holder holding the bag is covered with a packaging box for housing the bag,
The pre-freezing rack is characterized in that a protruding portion that abuts against an inner surface of the packaging box is provided on the leading end side of the holding plate. 2. The pre-freezing rack according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions are provided on the tip sides of the pair of holding plates, respectively. 3. The pre-freezing rack according to claim 1, wherein the tip side of the projecting portion is inclined. 4. The pre-freezing rack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pair of holding plates are parallel to each other when the bag is sandwiched between them. The holder bends and deforms at least one of the pair of holding plates in a direction in which the holding plate approaches the other holding plate, and the holding plates are arranged parallel to each other. 5. The pre-freezing rack according to claim 4, wherein said bag is sandwiched between a pair of retaining plates. 6. The pre-freezing rack according to claim 5, wherein said holder is made of sheet metal bent between said pair of holding plates via a bent portion. A window portion is provided on the side on which the bent portion is provided,
the bag is inserted between the pair of holding plates from the side opposite to the side on which the bent portion is provided;
7. The pre-freezing rack according to claim 6, wherein a jig for pushing out the bag sandwiched between the pair of holding plates is inserted through the window. 8. The pre-freezing rack according to claim 7, wherein the packaging box covers the holder holding the bag from the side opposite to the side on which the bent portion is provided. The pre-freezing rack according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a plurality of said holders are provided side by side in a direction in which said pair of holding plates face each other. an adapter provided with a plurality of clips arranged side by side for holding the packaging box corresponding to each of the plurality of holders;
10. The pre-freezing rack according to claim 9, wherein the packaging box is put over the plurality of holders holding the bags via the adapter. 11. The pre-freezing rack according to claim 10, wherein the clip has a pair of elastic plates facing each other and has a structure in which the packaging box is sandwiched between the pair of elastic plates. 12. The pre-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 to expand. A pre-freezing method for pre-freezing the biological sample by cooling the bag from room temperature to a predetermined temperature before cryopreserving the biological sample enclosed in a flexible bag,
Using the pre-freezing rack according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The holder holding the bag is covered with a packaging box for housing the bag, and the pre-freezing rack is housed in a cooling device having a cooling function, thereby cooling the bag. A pre-freezing method, comprising pre-freezing the biological sample.

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