JP3237319U - Biobank device compatible sample container storage case - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable storage of these biological samples in an automated warehouse by means of a package of a primary container containing biological samples which are not allowed in size, shape or quantity and are manually stored without other means. , Provides a sample container storage case compatible with biobank equipment. SOLUTION: An immovable grid-like partition 1 is provided inside a square body in which a bottom surface portion 2-a made of a synthetic resin having dimensions conforming to ANSI / SBS standards is sealed, or an immovable partition 1 parallel to one side is provided. The primary container containing the biological sample is packed in a package with the upper part sealed with the lid 2-b, or in a package with a recess and a receiving hole for storing vials and the upper part sealed with the lid instead of the partition 1. By using this as a container for storage in an automated warehouse, it is possible to satisfy the conditions for entering and exiting the automated warehouse and to automate the non-applicable biological samples that were forced to be manually managed. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a package of an embedded sample, various sample storage containers, a liquid sample cryopreservation bag, and an assisted reproductive technology sample container.

In recent years, the medical fields such as regenerative medicine, cell-containing medicine and infertility treatment have made remarkable progress. In the research fields that support the development of these advanced medical treatments, cryopreservation methods focused on maintaining the quality of biological samples are indispensable techniques to be implemented by all those skilled in the art.

Polypropylene cryovials are widely used as primary containers for cryopreservation of biological samples in the laboratory. A cryovial is a vial manufactured for typical storage use in which a lid is screwed into the vial opening as shown in FIG. The cryovial can be used for a required period by storing the biological sample in a container, screwing and attaching a lid to the opening, and then storing it in a cryogenic freezer or a freezer storage typified by a liquid nitrogen container. Store biological samples.

Although the above-mentioned freezing and cold storage has become the most popular standard manual freezing storage tool, a number of problems have become apparent in the storage of biological samples using these manual freezing storage. .. When the cryovial is taken in and out, the outside air flows into the inside every time the door or lid of the manual storage is opened or closed, so the existing sample frozen and stored in the storage is affected by the temperature and humidity of the outside air each time. , Freezing and thawing, which are said to be the cause of deterioration of biological samples, are repeated, and frost adheres violently. In particular, the biological sample stored near the entrance has the greatest effect, and the quality of the biological sample differs depending on the storage location. When using a liquid nitrogen container, there is a risk of injury, oxygen deficiency, and low-temperature burns when opening and closing the heavy lid and pulling up the internal rack containing the vial. It is necessary to take safety measures such as securing, sufficient ventilation equipment, and wearing thick gloves. Due to the spread of the Internet, remote work has been introduced in various places, but since remote work is physically impossible due to manual reasons, face-to-face work is possible even when an emergency declaration has been issued. Become mandatory. Moreover, even though digital is widespread, the recording of the entry and exit of biological samples depends entirely on the operator. Further, the worker not only manages the biological sample, but also manages the tool itself including security measures in order to maintain the normality of the manual storage. After all, although the manual storage has a storage function, it does not have a management function, and all management and safety measures must be complemented by people, and considerable peripheral equipment and people are required. Due to the consideration and labor involved, a large amount of cost that cannot be visualized is required every day.

On the other hand, automated warehouses have been developed as another tool for cryopreserving cryovials, and have recently been added to new options. An automated warehouse is a warehouse that has both storage and management functions consisting of hardware and software. It is equipped with a transfer robot that replaces human hands and attached software that operates the robot and records its history. It can be operated and monitored remotely, and can be operated day and night by the schedule function. Among automated warehouses, a device that is hermetically sealed, has a function of stably controlling temperature and humidity, and is intended for storing biological samples is called a biobank device. The biobank device automatically detects empty shelves in the refrigerator, quickly transports and stores cryovials, and records the address. The opening for loading and unloading the cryovial is large enough to allow one rack described below to pass through, and is extremely small compared to the door or lid that is the opening of the manual storage, so the temperature due to the inflowing outside air It minimizes change and its impact. The temperature inside the refrigerator is constantly measured by sensors installed in various places, and can be maintained and monitored at a constant level. A small amount of outside air flowing into the biobank device is dehumidified by the drying function, and the amount of water in the refrigerator is minimized to prevent the generation of frost. Remote control is possible by providing an internet environment, and since it is operated via software, not only is there no heavy labor and no heavy equipment is required, but also safety that can be remotely monitored by a specialist technician of the equipment manufacturer. It is a device. The attached software automatically records the operation history, and has the advantage of preventing tampering and preventing human error due to mistakes. In addition, an operable range of an administrator and a field worker is provided, and security measures are taken to log in using an ID and a password. Since there is no work that humans have to supplement, biological samples can be stored as well as stored. Furthermore, the number of biological samples stored per same installation area is overwhelmingly larger than that of the manual storage because the height near the ceiling of the laboratory can be effectively used, and the vacant part in the storage is overwhelming. The defragmentation optimization function that detects and stores the next stored biological sample in the vacant place enables efficient storage at all times without leaving idle parts, or the electrical backup function and high airtightness. The latest technology adds advantages that cannot be achieved by manual storage, such as the ability to protect biological samples from the rise in temperature during a power outage. The biobank device is an innovative storage system that employs technologies that provide safety, storage and operation efficiency, and convenience, with a focus on the integrity of biological samples and the reduction of the workload of workers.

In order to store the cryovial in the biobank device, the cryovial is placed in a rectangular parallelepiped package with a barcode on the outer short side and has the dimensions described below in compliance with the ANSI / SBS standard. It is required to store the package upright in a section provided in the section and to put in and take out the package together with the package without a lid. The ANSI / SBS standard was developed by the Society for Biomolecular Screening (SBS) and is a standard approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), with a rectangular parallelepiped long side dimension of 127.76 mm and a short side dimension of 127.76 mm. It is defined as .48 mm, and the height standard may depend on the dimensions of the contents and is not provided. A package having this ANSI / SBS standard is called an SBS rack. Polypropylene and polycarbonate are generally used as the material for the SBS rack. A grid-like compartment that can store cryovials of various capacities such as 0.5 ml, 1 ml, 2 ml, and 4 ml in the vertical direction from the inner bottom surface, or a round hole is provided horizontally with respect to the inner bottom surface of the rack. The size of the compartment or hole can tolerate the outer diameter of the cryovial, and the number is generally formalized with a maximum storage capacity of 24, 48, 96, 384. The outer bottom surface of the SBS rack is a part of the two-dimensional bar code for the purpose of detecting the two-dimensional bar code attached to the bottom surface of the stored cryovial from below through the SBS rack by the reader in the biobank device. The two-dimensional bar code can be visualized from the outer bottom surface of the SBS rack by forming the same number of lattices as the number of cryovials stored so that the canopy is exposed to the outside.

SBS racks are typically developed by companies that manufacture cryovials for use in storing their cryovials in biobank devices. In order for cryovials to be stored in biobank devices from any manufacturer, standards such as ANSI / SBS are required. Since the SBS rack is designed and manufactured with its own height on the side of the rectangular parallelepiped based on the diameter of its own cryovial, basically other companies' cryovials are not compatible, and containers other than cryovials can be stored. It is impossible.

Although there is no regulation on the primary protection method or primary container for the storage of various biological samples, experts have studied and the optimum solution has been discussed. As an example, ISBER (INTERRNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL REPOSITORIES) has been added as a best practice, updated and distributed irregularly, but it is only positioned as a guideline and is actually positioned as a guideline for each sample or each site. The most suitable method or container is adopted. For example, tissue pieces are embedded and protected as shown in FIG. 6, and biological samples of a size and shape that cannot be accommodated in a cryovial are stored in the containers shown in FIG. 7 or umbilical cord blood in an amount exceeding the capacity of the cryovial. For liquid samples containing lymphocytes and lymphocytes, a special cryopreservation bag is used. In the field of reproductive assistive medicine, an egg and a sperm are biological samples that are treated as a pair. For an egg, a dedicated container called a straw shown in FIG. 12 is used as a primary storage container, and the straw is housed in the case shown in FIG. As for sperm, the cryovial shown in FIG. 13 is used as a primary storage container. Due to the different shapes of the primary storage containers for both samples, it is difficult to physically store them in a pair of states, and they are stored separately using a cryopreservation vial fixing device (cane) as shown in FIGS. 14 and 16 of FIG. ing. Both samples are undoubtedly samples that must be processed in pairs, but error prevention is highly manual.

Despite the invention of innovative automatic storage techniques such as biobank devices for safe and efficient storage, biological samples that can be stored automatically are fully acceptable for storage in cryovials. Because it depends on the size, shape, and quantity of samples that can be accommodated in the cryovial, the current situation is limited. Neither the biological sample nor the worker is benefiting from the automated technique because the non-applicable biological sample cannot be selected for automation.

JP-A-2007-302256

A biobank that can safely and efficiently manage workers in a favorable environment where the quality of biological samples stored in a manual storage without other options can be maintained because they cannot be stored in a cryovial. Technology is required to realize automatic storage in the device.

The present invention is
[1] A rectangular parallelepiped container for storing various storage containers for accommodating embedded specimens and biological samples.
With a sealed inner bottom,
A grid-like partition for individually storing the embedded sample and the various storage containers, and
A partition formed by welding a grid-like partition to the inner bottom of the rectangular parallelepiped, and
A lid that seals the rectangular parallelepiped and has a thickness that fills the internal space without contact with the upper surface of the container.
The barcode attached to the side surface of the outer short side of the rectangular parallelepiped,
Including packing unit equipped with
The packing unit is a packing body for an embedded sample and various storage containers, which is made of synthetic resin.
[2] A rectangular parallelepiped container for storing a liquid sample cryopreservation bag for storing a large amount of liquid sample that cannot be stored in a cryopreservation vial with a two-dimensional bar code.
The grid-like compartments of the packing unit
A partition parallel to the long side or the short side for storing the liquid sample cryopreservation bags side by side and individually.
The partition, the partition formed in the inner bottom portion by welding to the inner bottom portion of the rectangular parallelepiped, and the partition portion formed in the inner bottom portion.
The package of the liquid sample cryopreservation bag according to claim 1, which has the structure of the above.
[3] A rectangular parallelepiped container for storing a pair of a dedicated straw for storing eggs and the cryopreservation vial for storing sperms, and a part of the grid-like compartment according to claim 1 is The packaging body for an assisted reproductive technology sample container according to claim 1, which has a structure in which a recess is formed for storing the straws side by side on the inner bottom of the rectangular parallelepiped.

According to the package for accommodating an embedded sample called a sample container storage case compatible with the biobank device of the present invention, various storage containers for storing biological samples, a liquid sample cryopreservation bag, and a sample container for reproductive assist medical treatment. Using a biobank device, these storage-excluded biological samples can be safely and efficiently stored while maintaining their quality. More specifically, the biological sample can be stored in the biobank device by packing the biological sample together with the primary container in the storage case of the present invention having the ANSI / SBS standard required by the biobank device. The advantage of maintaining the quality of these biological samples is that they are stored in a favorable environment that is not affected by the outside air provided by the biobank device. Since the biobank device is a device that has both functions of storing and managing biological samples, the operator is freed from complicated management work and can work efficiently without causing human error.

It is a perspective view which showed one Example in the state which the lid of the package | packing body of claim 1 was opened. It is a bird's-eye view excluding the lid of FIG. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the inside from the long side A with the lid closed, and a side view showing the inside from the short side B. The dashed line indicates a grid-like partition. It is a reference photograph which showed the example of 4 kinds of embedded samples stored in the package of claim 1 and the example of 5 kinds of storage containers which are different in size and shape from the sample storage tube. It is a perspective view which showed one Example in the state which the lid of the package | packing body of claim 2 was opened. It is a perspective view which showed one Example in the state which the lid of the package | packing body of claim 3 was opened. It is a bird's-eye view excluding the lid of FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the inside from the C long side portion with the lid closed, and a side view showing the inside from the D short side portion. The dashed line indicates the partition. FIG. 6 is a side view of the E long side portion of the lid of FIG. 6 and a side view of the F short side portion. It is a reference photograph which shows an example of the specimen container for assisted reproductive technology described in claim 3.

The case of the present invention is a rectangular parallelepiped made of synthetic resin having a bar code on the short side of the outer side surface and having dimensions conforming to the ANSI / SBS standard. In order to prevent contact and store the items individually, an immovable grid-like section, dents, round holes, etc. are provided according to the size of the items to prevent the items from moving laterally inside the case. To give. The height of the case of the present invention exceeds the height of the embedded sample or storage container to be stored, and has a thickness that fills the space created inside the case of the present invention in order to prevent the stored items from moving in the vertical direction. , The container should be sealed with a non-contact lid. The biological sample is packed together with the primary storage container, and the case of the present invention is stored in the biobank device. Due to this form, storage containers having a size and shape different from those of the embedded specimen and cryovial can be stored in a state where they are individually identified by the barcode attached to the case of the present invention without popping out in the biobank device. It enables the durability of transportation by robots inside and realizes automatic storage.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of claim 1 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the main body of the package according to claim 1, with the lid 2-b removed. The outer frame of the package is a rectangular parallelepiped with a length of 127.76 mm for the long side and a length of 85.48 mm for the short side, which conforms to the ANSI / SBS standard. Equipped with the indicated barcode. The bottom surface 2-a of the package body is sealed. A grid-shaped partition 1 is provided inside the package body to form a section for accommodating one embedded sample 6 and storage containers 7 shown in FIG. 4 in one section. In the case of FIG. 1, since three partitions are provided in parallel with the long side direction and six partitions are provided in parallel with the short side direction, a total of 28 specimens or storage containers can be accommodated. .. The bottom surface of the grid-shaped partition 1 is welded and fixed to the inner bottom surface of the main body of the package. As is clearly shown in FIG. 2, on the upper surface of the main body of the package, the section number 4 of the alphabet is marked on the long side and the section number 5 of the number is marked on the short side. The height of the main body of the package shall exceed the height of the embedded sample or storage container to be stored. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the package lid is attached from the side surface, and is stored in the biobank device in this state.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of claim 2 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the main body of the package according to claim 2, with the lid 2-b removed. Instead of the grid-like partition of claim 1, by providing three partitions 8 parallel to the long side of the package, four bags of liquid sample cryopreservation can be stored. The bottom surface of the partition 8 is welded and fixed to the inner bottom surface of the main body of the package. A numerical division number 5 is marked on the short side of the upper surface of the main body of the package. The height of the main body of the package shall exceed the height of the liquid sample cryopreservation bag to be stored. When storing in the biobank device, seal it with a lid.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of claim 3 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main body of the package according to claim 3, with the lid removed. A recess 10 capable of horizontally storing the straw 12 for storing the egg shown in FIG. 10 and a receiving hole 11 for storing the cryovial 13 containing the sperm upright on the bottom surface of the package are provided. Straws and cryovials are stored in recesses and holes, respectively, to prevent lateral movement within the packaging and contact between containers. As is clearly shown in FIG. 7, individual identification numbers 5 and alphabets 4 are marked in the dents and receiving holes so that the addresses can be managed. An example in which 6 straws and 6 cryovials can be stored is shown. FIG. 8 shows the package sealed with a lid from the side, and FIG. 9 shows only the lid from the side. The inside of the lid, which corresponds to the portion where the straw is stored, has a thickness to fill the difference in height between the cryovial and the straw. This thickness plays a role in preventing the straw from moving upward. The receiving hole of 11 is another example of the form of the allowable portion instead of the grid-like partition 1. The receiving hole has a depth shorter than the height of the cryovial.

1 Lattice partition 2-a Bottom of the main body of the packing body 2-b Lid of the packing body of claims 1 and 2 3 Bar code 4 Alphabet marking 5 Numerical marking 6 Reference photo: Example of embedded sample 7 Reference photo: Various storage containers Example 8 Long-sided parallel partition 9 Package lid of claim 3 Straw storage recess 11 Cryovial storage receiving hole 12 Reference photo: Egg storage straw example 13 Reference photo: Cryovial example 14 Reference photo: Straw An example of a cane for fixing 15 Reference photo: An example of a straw case for storing a cane 16 Reference photo: An example of a cane for fixing a cryovial

The sample container storage case compatible with the biobank device of the present invention is utilized in the industry of cryopreserving specimens such as immunotherapy, regenerative medicine utilizing umbilical cord blood and skin cells, and reproductive assistive medicine, as well as elucidation of drug discovery and diseases. It can be expected to be used in the research field of. If the results obtained do not show the expected value due to the utilization of biological samples whose quality varies depending on the storage condition, is it due to artifacts or due to biological samples? It was necessary to continue treatment and research until it became clear and reproducibility was obtained, and it took a huge amount of time and effort to obtain reliable results, and treatment costs and research costs increased. By increasing the integrity of the sample to be utilized by the case of the present invention, it can be expected to accelerate and escape from Galapagos. Since the case of the present invention is made of a synthetic resin having low thermal conductivity and resistance, it is easy to handle even in a frozen state, can be mass-produced, and even after the stored matter is consumed, another container is used again. By storing, it can be reused for a long period of time, so there is little conflict with environmental problems. Based on these facts, it is useful not only in human specimens but also in industries other than the above, such as compound specimens, plant specimens such as seeds, seaweeds, and medicinal herbs, water specimens such as seas and lakes, soil and fossil specimens, and animal specimens. It can be said that it can be applied to the sample to be used. Furthermore, since the case of the present invention is in the standing position of the packaging body of the primary container, it is not necessary to change the optimum solution of the current primary container given by the researcher, and it does not come into direct contact with the sample. It is not necessary to consider the effect of elution of the material on the sample. If there are multiple primary containers, in terms of operation, it is naturally required to put them together, so the role and contribution of the case of the present invention is great.

Claims (3)

A rectangular parallelepiped container for storing various storage containers for accommodating embedded specimens and biological samples.
With a sealed inner bottom,
A grid-like partition for individually storing the embedded sample and the various storage containers, and
A partition formed by welding a grid-like partition to the inner bottom of the rectangular parallelepiped, and
A lid that seals the rectangular parallelepiped and has a thickness that fills the internal space without contact with the upper surface of the container.
The barcode attached to the side surface of the outer short side of the rectangular parallelepiped,
Including packing unit equipped with
The packing unit is a packing body for an embedded sample and various storage containers, which is made of synthetic resin. A rectangular parallelepiped container for storing a liquid sample cryopreservation bag for accommodating a large amount of liquid sample that cannot be accommodated in a cryopreservation vial with a two-dimensional bar code, and the lattice-shaped compartment of the packing unit is
A partition parallel to the long side or the short side for storing the liquid sample cryopreservation bags side by side and individually.
The partition, the partition formed in the inner bottom portion by welding to the inner bottom portion of the rectangular parallelepiped, and the partition portion formed in the inner bottom portion.
The package of the liquid sample cryopreservation bag according to claim 1, which has the structure of the above. A rectangular parallelepiped container for storing a pair of a dedicated straw for storing eggs and the cryopreservation vial for storing sperms, and a part of the grid-like compartment according to claim 1 holds the straw. The packaging body for an assisted reproductive technology sample container according to claim 1, which has a structure in which a recess is formed for side-by-side storage on the inner bottom of the rectangular parallelepiped.

Images