JP5658624B2 - Thawing device and cryopreservation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thawing apparatus and a cryopreservation apparatus, and more particularly, to a thawing apparatus and a cryopreservation apparatus for a frozen biological sample enclosed in a cryopreservation tube with an identification code.

  In basic research in the fields of medicine and biotechnology and in the livestock industry, biological samples such as animal sperm, fertilized eggs and cells are stored frozen in a cryopreservation tube. At that time, in order to reliably manage a large amount of cryopreserved samples, a cryopreservation device was developed in which a barcode label was attached to the cryopreservation tube and a barcode reader was installed in close proximity to read the barcode label. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). According to this, even when handling thousands of cryopreservation tubes, the mistake is eliminated, and the cryopreservation tubes can be specified in a short time.

  By the way, the cryopreservation sample stored in the cryopreservation tube is usually thawed by immersing the cryopreservation tube taken out of the cryopreservation apparatus in warm water kept at a constant temperature, or applying a constant temperature with a heater or the like. This is done by bringing the cryopreservation tube into direct contact with a heated aluminum metal block.

  An apparatus using warm air is known as a thawing apparatus for a plasma pack that is a liquid component of blood (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2010-094359 A JP 2001-218817 A

  However, among the above-described conventional techniques, in the technique of thawing a cryopreserved sample in warm water, the cap portion of the cryopreservation tube may be loosened during the thawing process, and hot water may be mixed into the cryopreservation tube. This raises concerns about sample safety and hygiene. In addition, since the barcode label attached to the cryopreservation tube may be peeled off in warm water, there is a problem in terms of sample management.

  In the method of thawing by directly contacting an aluminum metal block, it is necessary to use a different block for each shape of the cryopreservation tube. Depending on the shape of the cryopreservation tube, there may be a gap between the contact surface between the block surface and the cryopreservation tube surface. The label may be damaged.

  Furthermore, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, due to thawing in the atmosphere, moisture in the atmosphere is condensed on the surface of the bar code label to generate water droplets, and problems are likely to occur when reading the bar code label. Further, it is a technique related to thawing of a bag, and there is no description about a method of individually thawing a cryopreserved sample contained in a small container such as a cryopreservation tube.

  The present invention has been made for the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to perform a thawing process uniformly on a cryopreservation tube in which a biological sample is sealed, and to reliably manage its identification code. An object of the present invention is to provide a thawing apparatus that can perform the above and a cryopreservation apparatus including the thawing apparatus.

To solve this problem,
The invention according to claim 1 is a frozen biological sample thawing device enclosed in a cryopreservation tube with an identification code attached thereto, and generates hot air by heating a dry gas having a dew point of −40 ° C. or lower, The thawing device is characterized in that the generated hot air includes a hot air generating and blowing unit that uniformly warms the periphery of the cryopreservation tube, and an identification code reading unit that reads the identification code.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the tube fixing jig, wherein the hot air generating and blowing means includes a base portion on which the cryopreservation tube is placed, and an impeller fixed to the base portion in a rotationally coaxial manner. And hot air generating means for generating a first hot air blown to the impeller and a second hot air blown to the cryopreservation tube, and the cryopreservation by rotation of the impeller The thawing device according to claim 1, wherein the second hot air is blown while the working tube is rotated.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the hot air generating and blowing means includes a base portion on which the cryopreservation tube is placed, and a transparent fixed cylinder that surrounds the placed cryopreservation tube with a predetermined clearance. And a tube fixing jig having an impeller fixed to the base on the same axis, and hot air generating means for generating hot air blown against the impeller, and by rotating the impeller The thawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hot air that has rotated the impeller passes through the clearance while the cryopreservation tube is rotated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tube fixing jig in which the hot air generating and blowing means has the swirling flow generating member that outputs the introduced hot air as a swirling flow while the cryopreservation tube is placed thereon. When, placed on freezing and storage tubes surround with a predetermined clearance transparent fixed cylinder, a tube fixing jig with the handed circumfluence warm air generating means for generating the warm air to be introduced into generating member The warm air as the swirl flow passes through the clearance, and the thawing device according to claim 1.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the hot air generating and blowing means includes a tube fixing jig having a base portion on which the cryopreservation tube is placed, a motor for rotating the tube fixing jig, The hot air generating means for generating hot air to be blown onto the cryopreservation tube, wherein the hot air is blown while the cryopreservation tube is rotated by the motor. The thawing device described.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the hot air generating means includes a pipe, a blower for introducing a dry gas into the pipe, the first hot air by heating the dry gas introduced into the pipe, The thawing device according to claim 2, further comprising a heater that generates the second warm air .
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the hot air generating means includes a pipe, a blower that introduces a dry gas into the pipe, and a heater that warms the dry gas introduced into the pipe and generates the hot air. And a decompression device according to any one of claims 3 to 5.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cryopreservation container containing at least one cryopreservation tube in which a frozen biological sample is enclosed and an identification code is attached, and the freezing with respect to the cryopreservation container filled with a dry gas. A transfer / transfer chamber serving as a storage tube loading / unloading work space, a pass box provided between the external environment and the transfer / transfer chamber for delivering the cryopreservation tube, and the cryopreservation tube A thawing treatment chamber for performing a thawing treatment, wherein the thawing treatment chamber heats a dry gas having a dew point of −40 ° C. or less to generate hot air, and the generated hot air is A cryopreservation apparatus comprising hot air generating and blowing means for uniformly warming the periphery of the cryopreservation tube and identification code reading means for reading the identification code.

The invention according to claim 9 is the cryopreservation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the pass box and the thawing chamber are configured by dividing a box with a partition plate.

  According to the thawing device and the cryopreservation device of the present invention, it is possible to perform a thawing process uniformly on a cryopreservation tube in which a biological sample is enclosed, and to perform reading of an identification code in a dry gas atmosphere where frost formation is difficult The identification code can be managed reliably. Further, since warm air is used instead of hot water, the identification code can be read reliably without being damaged, and the hot water is not mixed into the cryopreservation tube, which is safe and hygienic. Moreover, since warm air has a smaller heat capacity than warm water, temperature control is easy and responsive, and the thawing process conditions can be easily changed according to the characteristics of the biological sample.

Fig.1 (a) is a schematic side view of 1st Embodiment in the cryopreservation apparatus of this invention, The same figure (b) is the schematic plan view. It is a perspective view of detailed composition of a thawing processing room and a pass box in a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure for thawing | decompressing the cryopreservation tube uniformly and efficiently in 1st Embodiment, The figure (a) is a front view, The figure (b) is the figure ( It is sectional drawing about the bb 'line | wire of the tube fixing jig in a). It is a figure which shows the detailed structure for thawing | decompressing the cryopreservation tube uniformly and efficiently in 2nd Embodiment, The figure (a) is a front view, The figure (b) is the figure ( It is sectional drawing about the bb 'line | wire of the tube fixing jig in a). It is a figure which shows the detailed structure for thawing | decompressing the cryopreservation tube uniformly and efficiently in 3rd Embodiment, The figure (a) is a front view, The figure (b) is the figure ( It is sectional drawing about the bb 'line | wire of the tube fixing jig in a). It is a figure which shows the detailed structure for thawing | decompressing the cryopreservation tube uniformly and efficiently in 4th Embodiment, The figure (a) is a front view, The figure (b) is the figure ( It is sectional drawing about the bb 'line | wire of the tube fixing jig in a).

Hereinafter, a thawing apparatus according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings together with a cryopreservation apparatus having the thawing apparatus.
In addition, in the drawings used in the following description, in order to make the features easy to understand, there are cases where the portions that become the features are enlarged for the sake of convenience, and the dimensional ratios of the respective components are not always the same as the actual ones. Absent.

<First Embodiment>
Fig.1 (a) is a schematic side view of 1st Embodiment in the cryopreservation apparatus of this invention, The same figure (b) is the schematic plan view. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the cryopreservation apparatus stores a cryopreservation container 3 in the lower part, and a transfer movement chamber 8 filled with dry nitrogen gas is formed in the upper part. The cryopreservation tube 7 in which the sample is stored is held in a cane (holding tool) 5 while being stored in a cup-shaped storage unit 6 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 2). The cane 5 holding the cryopreservation tube 7 is controlled to move in any horizontal direction (xy axis direction) by the three-axis robot 4 (selection of a storage location in the cryopreservation container 3), and in the vertical direction ( The movement is controlled in the z-axis direction (insertion / removal to / from the cryopreservation container 3) (for example, refer to Patent Document 1 for details).

  Here, as the cryopreservation tube 7, any container can be used as long as it can be cryopreserved and the inside can be sealed, such as a tube or vial such as a cylindrical container with a cap of about 1.8 cc. A bar code label (identification code) BL in which information such as an identification management number is recorded is attached to the body 72 of the cryopreservation tube 7 (see FIG. 2).

  Further, in the transfer movement chamber 8 is provided in contact with the external environment, and is provided in contact with the external environment and the thawing processing chamber 1 for performing the thawing processing of the frozen cryopreservation tube 7, and is used for cryopreservation. A pass box 2 for delivering the tube 7 is juxtaposed. As will be described in detail later, the thawing chamber 1 and the pass box 2 have a common door 92 for taking out the cryopreservation tube 7 to the outside environment. A thawing process operation panel 10 is provided on the outer wall surface facing the external environment of the thawing process chamber 1.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a detailed configuration of the thawing processing chamber 1 and the pass box 2.
As shown in the figure, the thawing processing chamber 1 and the pass box 2 are physically configured integrally with a rectangular parallelepiped box 9 and defined by a partition plate 91. The partition plate 91 plays a role of preventing warming nitrogen gas in the thawing processing chamber 1 from entering the low-temperature pass box 2. Further, as described above, the thawing processing chamber 1 and the pass box 2 have the door 92 in common, and when the door 92 is opened, the respective openings PO1 and PO2 are exposed. Further, as described above, on the outer wall surface facing the external environment of the thawing processing chamber 1, the thawing processing operation panel 10 in which various switches for inputting instructions for starting and ending the thawing processing are arranged. . Therefore, when the various switches are operated by the operator, a start signal for supplying the heated nitrogen gas to the thawing processing chamber zone 11 and an end signal for stopping the supply of the heated nitrogen gas are sent to the control unit ( (Not shown).

  The pass box 2 performs an operation for setting the cryopreservation tube 7 before freezing to the cup-shaped tube storage portion 6 of the cane 5 and a work for removing the frozen storage tube 7 after freezing from the cup-shaped tube storage portion 6. And a storage / removal hole WH for moving the cane 5 in / out of the pass box 2 and the cryopreservation container 3 at the lower part of the cane 5 during the holding / removal operation of the cryopreservation tube 7. Bar code reader for cryopreservation sample management for reading bar code label BL affixed to insertion hole IH for temporary holding inside, and cryopreservation tube 7 positioned at the opening edge of insertion hole IH 21 and a dry gas inlet GH2 for introducing dry nitrogen gas into the pass box 2 are provided.

  On the other hand, the thawing process chamber 1 is roughly divided into a thawing process zone 11 and a heating unit section 12. In the thawing process zone 11, a tube fixing jig 111a to which the cryopreservation tube 7 to which the barcode label BL is attached is fixed, and a thawing process barcode reader (identification code reading) for reading the barcode label BL. Means) 112. More specifically, the bar code reader 112 for thawing processing is provided in order to prevent mistaken thawing of the cryopreservation tube 7 and to accumulate information on which of the cryopreservation tubes 7 has been thawed. .

  Further, the heating unit 12 includes a drying gas GH1 for introducing a drying gas having a dew point of −40 ° C. or less into the thawing processing chamber 1, a pipe 121a, and a drying gas introduced from the drying gas introduction port GH1. A blower 122 for feeding the air into the pipe 121a, a heater 123 for warming the dry gas fed in, and a temperature sensor 124 for measuring the temperature of the dry gas flowing through the pipe 121a. It has. Here, the temperature information measured by the temperature sensor 124 is sent to the heater 123, and the temperature of the drying gas is feedback-controlled. In addition, the specific temperature shall be the temperature (for example, about 35-40 degreeC) made optimal by a sample. Further, as the dry gas, it is preferable to use the nitrogen gas for cooling the cryopreservation container 3, but there is no particular limitation as long as the dew point is −40 ° C. or lower, and dry air or the like can be used.

  Here, at least the duct 121a, the blower 122, and the heater 123 constitute hot air generating means, and the hot air generating means and the tube fixing jig 111a constitute hot air generating and blowing means. doing.

  Next, a detailed configuration for thawing the cryopreservation tube 7 uniformly and efficiently will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A is a front view, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line b-b ′ of the tube fixing jig 111a in FIG.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 3A, the cryopreservation tube 7 includes a cap 71 and a tube body 72. The tube fixing jig 111a includes a base portion 1111 on which the cryopreservation tube 7 is placed, and a plurality of fixing pins that come into contact with and support the outer periphery of the cryopreservation tube 7 placed on the base portion 1111. 1112, a mesh-shaped fixed cylinder 1113, an opening FO opened in a portion of the fixed cylinder 1113 facing the bar code reader 112 for thawing processing, and a rotating shaft extending below the base portion 1111, provided coaxially. An impeller 1114 provided at least. Here, the plurality of fixing pins 1112 have such a height that the tube 7 cannot fall down (for example, 10 to 25 mm), and the diameter thereof does not hinder the identification of the barcode (for example, φ0.5). -1 mm), and the number is, for example, 6-12. The wire diameter of the mesh of the fixed cylinder 1113 is, for example, φ0.5 to 1 mm, and the aperture ratio is, for example, 60 to 80%. As shown in the figure, the cryopreservation tube 7 is housed in the tube fixing jig 111a with its upper portion protruding from the fixed cylinder 1113 to some extent.

  On the other hand, the pipe 121a is branched inside to form one opening facing the impeller 1114 and another opening facing the fixed cylinder 1113 at the end facing the tube fixing jig 111a. ing. In addition, the pipe line 121a and the tube fixing jig 111a may be separated as shown in FIG. 3A, or may be in contact with or connected to each other. The same applies to subsequent embodiments.

  Therefore, out of the dry gas conveyed in the pipe 121a by the blower 122, the dry gas discharged from the one opening is introduced into the impeller 1114 portion, and the dry gas discharged from the other opening is It is sprayed onto the tube body 72 of the cryopreservation tube 7 through the mesh of the fixed cylinder 1113.

  The dry gas introduced into the impeller 1114 portion rotates the impeller 1114 about the rotation axis, so that the base portion 1111 connected via the rotation shaft also rotates, and consequently the cryopreservation tube 7 rotates. It becomes. That is, in a state where the cryopreservation tube 7 is rotating, the dry gas discharged from the other opening of the pipe 121a is blown onto the fixed cylinder 1113 through the mesh. Note that the mesh-like fixed cylinder 1113 in the present embodiment prevents the cryopreservation tube 7 from being detached from the base 1111 and the fixing pin 1112 due to the dry gas wind force and falling off the tube fixing jig 111a. While having the function, it has the function of allowing the dry gas to be sprayed uniformly onto the tube body 72.

  In this embodiment, the pipe 121a and the tube fixing jig 111a are configured as described above, so that the entire tube body 72 of the cryopreservation tube 7 is heated evenly, and thus the cryopreservation tube 7 is used. The cryopreserved sample inside can be thawed uniformly. Moreover, compared with the case where the motor mentioned later is employ | adopted, since the installation space becomes unnecessary, the height of the thawing | decompression process chamber 1 can be restrained low.

  Next, the procedure of the thawing process in the thawing process chamber of the cryopreservation apparatus of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the operator calls a desired cryopreservation tube 7 cryopreserved in the cryopreservation container 3 into the pass box 2. Specifically, first, the identification management number of the desired cryopreservation tube 7 is input to an input device (not shown). The input identification management number is sent to a control device (not shown). Based on the input identification management number, the control device horizontally moves the gripping head of the three-axis robot 4 to a position directly above the cane 5 including the desired cryopreservation tube 7 and then lowers it. Further, the control device controls the gripper 5 to grip the head of the cane 5 and then lift the gripping head. By such a series of operations, the cane 5 including the desired cryopreservation tube 7 is pulled out from the cryopreservation container 3.

  Subsequently, the control device moves the gripping head that grips the desired cane 5 to the position just above the loading / unloading work hole WH of the pass box 2. Next, the desired cane 5 starts to be inserted into the loading / unloading work hole WH. Therefore, the control device stops the insertion of the cane 5 when the cup-shaped tube storage portion 6 in which the desired cryopreservation tube 7 is stored descends to the opening edge of the insertion hole IH of the pass box 2. After the stop, the cryopreservation sample management barcode reader 21 in the pass box 2 reads the barcode information of the barcode label BL attached to the tube barrel 72 of the desired cryopreservation tube 7 and manages its identification. Send the number to the controller.

  Next, the operator opens the door 92 of the thawing processing chamber 1 and the pass box 2, takes out the desired cryopreservation tube 7 from the pass box 2, and attaches it to the tube fixing jig 111 a installed in the thawing processing chamber 1. When the door 92 is closed, the decompression processing barcode reader 112 reads the barcode information of the barcode label BL and sends the identification management number to the control device. The control device stores the identification management number as information indicating that the sample is to be thawed from now on in a storage unit (not shown) and verifies whether the sample set on the tube fixing jig 111a is appropriate. To do. As a result, there is no possibility that a sample that is not desired is erroneously thawed due to, for example, tube misplacement.

  Next, the decompression process is started by operating the decompression process operation panel 10. Specifically, for example, while the tube fixing jig 111a is rotated by wind power by the above-described mechanism, nitrogen gas (dry gas) whose temperature is controlled to + 37 ° C. is supplied to the tube body 72 at a wind speed of 30 m / s or less, for example, capacity From the viewpoint of preventing the 1.8 ml cryopreservation tube 7 from being blown off, the thawing treatment is preferably performed by air contact at 5 to 7 m / s.

  After a predetermined time has elapsed, the operator performs an ending operation on the thawing processing operation panel 10 to stop blowing and heating. Thereafter, the decompression processing barcode reader 112 reads the barcode information of the barcode label BL again and sends the identification management number to the control device. The control device compares the identification management number with the previously stored identification management number, and stores it in the storage unit as information indicating that the sample has been thawed. In this way, by performing identification management by the thawing process barcode reader 112 before and after thawing, it is possible to reliably manage whether or not the thawing process has been performed on the sample. In the unlikely event that the cryopreservation tube 7 is detached from the tube fixing jig 111a during the thawing process and the thawing process is not completed, the control device can grasp the information.

  After completion of the thawing process, the operator opens the door 92 and removes the cryopreservation tube 7 from the tube fixing jig 111a.

  As described above, according to the thawing device and the cryopreservation device of the present embodiment, the cryopreservation tube 7 in which the biological sample is sealed can be uniformly thawed, and in a dry gas atmosphere where frosting is difficult to occur. Since the identification code reading is executed in step S1, the identification code can be reliably managed. Further, since warm air is used instead of warm water, the identification code can be reliably read without being damaged, and the warm water is not mixed into the cryopreservation tube 7 and is safe and hygienic. . Moreover, since warm air has a smaller heat capacity than warm water, temperature control is easy and responsive, and the thawing process conditions can be easily changed according to the characteristics of the biological sample.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, only the pipe line and the tube fixing jig are different from the first embodiment. Other configurations in the cryopreservation apparatus are the same as those in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3, FIG. 4A is a front view, and FIG. 4B is a line bb ′ of the tube fixing jig 111 b in FIG. FIG. The second embodiment is generally different from the first embodiment in that the dry gas for rotating the impeller 1114 is also used for thawing the cryopreservation tube 7. Only different points will be described below.

  The tube fixing jig 111b includes a base portion 1111 on which the cryopreservation tube 7 is placed, and a plurality of fixing pins that come into contact with and support the outer periphery of the cryopreservation tube 7 placed on the base portion 1111. 1112, a transparent fixed cylinder 1115, and an impeller 1114 provided coaxially with a rotation shaft extending below the base portion 1111. The transparent fixed cylinder 1115 surrounds the side surface of the cryopreservation tube 7 from the outer peripheral portion of the impeller 1114 with a predetermined clearance, and is made of a transparent material such as acrylic resin for reading a barcode label. The predetermined clearance is, for example, about 1 to 2 mm.

  On the other hand, the pipe line 121b forms an opening facing the portion of the impeller 1114 at the end on the side facing the tube fixing jig 111b.

  Then, the dry gas discharged | emitted from the said opening of the pipe line 121b is introduce | transduced into the impeller 1114 part, and the impeller 1114 is rotated similarly to 1st Embodiment, thereby the tube 7 for cryopreservation is rotated. Further, in the second embodiment, the dry gas that has rotated the impeller 1114 further raises the clearance portion. That is, the cryopreservation tube 7 is warmed by the dry gas that has rotated up the clearance while rotating.

  Accordingly, also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the entire tube barrel 72 of the cryopreservation tube 7 is heated evenly, so that the cryopreservation sample in the cryopreservation tube 7 is thawed uniformly. It can be processed. Moreover, compared with the case where the motor mentioned later is employ | adopted, since the installation space becomes unnecessary, the height of the thawing | decompression process chamber 1 can be restrained low.

  Note that the thawing procedure in the thawing chamber of the cryopreservation apparatus is the same as in the first embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, at least the pipe 121b, the blower 122, and the heater 123 constitute hot air generating means, and the hot air generating means and the tube fixing jig 111b provide hot air generating blow. The attaching means is constituted.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Also in 3rd Embodiment, only a pipe line and a tube fixing jig differ from 1st Embodiment. Other configurations in the cryopreservation apparatus are the same as those in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3, FIG. 5A is a front view, and FIG. 5B is a line bb ′ of the tube fixing jig 111 c in FIG. FIG. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment and the second embodiment in that the cryopreservation tube 7 is thawed by generating a swirling flow without rotating the cryopreservation tube 7. It is. Only different points will be described below.

  The tube fixing jig 111c has a function as a table on which the cryopreservation tube 7 is placed, and a mechanism for discharging the gas flowing from the outside as a swirling flow (provided along the outer periphery, with respect to the vertical direction). A swirl flow generating member 1116 having a plurality of inclined through holes) and a transparent fixed cylinder 1115 are provided. The transparent fixed cylinder 1115 is the same as that of the second embodiment. Since the cryopreservation tube 7 is not rotated, a fixing pin as in the first and second embodiments is not essential, but may be present.

  On the other hand, the pipeline 121c has the same configuration as the pipeline 121b of the second embodiment, and forms an opening facing the swirl flow generating member 1116 at the end on the side facing the tube fixing jig 111c. Yes.

  Then, the dry gas discharged | emitted from the said opening of the pipe line 121c is introduce | transduced into the rotational flow generation member 1116 part, and is guide | induced to the said several through-hole. As described above, the plurality of through holes are provided in the outer peripheral portion of the swirl flow generating member 1116 and have a predetermined inclination with respect to the vertical direction. The part is raised in a spiral shape (the rising angle is, for example, 10 to 45 degrees), and the cryopreservation tube 7 is warmed. Thus, in this embodiment, since the dry gas swirls and rises, it is not necessary to rotate the cryopreservation tube 7 as in the first and second embodiments.

  As described above, also in the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the entire tube body 72 of the cryopreservation tube 7 is heated evenly, and thus the freezing in the cryopreservation tube 7 is performed. The stored sample can be thawed uniformly. Moreover, compared with the case where the motor mentioned later is employ | adopted, since the installation space becomes unnecessary, the height of the thawing | decompression process chamber 1 can be restrained low.

  Note that the thawing procedure in the thawing chamber of the cryopreservation apparatus is the same as in the first embodiment.

  In the third embodiment, at least the duct 121c, the blower 122, and the heater 123 constitute hot air generating means, and the hot air generating means and the tube fixing jig 111c constitute hot air generating blow. The attaching means is constituted.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In 4th Embodiment, only a pipe line and a tube fixing jig differ from 1st Embodiment. Other configurations in the cryopreservation apparatus are the same as those in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a front view of the pipe line and the tube fixing jig. The fourth embodiment is generally different from the first embodiment in that a motor 113 is employed instead of the impeller 1114 for rotating the tube fixing jig 111d (the cryopreservation tube 7). .

  The base part 1111, the plurality of fixing pins 1112, the mesh-like fixing cylinder 1113, and the opening FO are the same as the tube fixing jig 111a of the first embodiment. However, the motor 113 is attached to the base portion 1111 via a rotating shaft.

  On the other hand, the pipe line 121d has an opening in the entire end portion on the side facing the tube fixing jig 111d.

  Therefore, all of the dry gas conveyed through the pipe 121 d by the blower 122 is blown onto the tube barrel portion 72 of the cryopreservation tube 7 through the mesh of the fixed cylinder 1113.

  The tube fixing jig 111d is rotated by the rotation of the motor 113, whereby the cryopreservation tube 7 is rotated. That is, while the cryopreservation tube 7 is rotating, the dry gas discharged from the opening of the pipe line 121d is blown onto the fixed cylinder 1113 through the mesh. Note that the mesh function of the fixed cylinder 1113 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  As described above, also in the fourth embodiment, as in the first to third embodiments, the entire tube body 72 of the cryopreservation tube 7 is heated evenly, and thus the freezing in the cryopreservation tube 7 is performed. The stored sample can be thawed uniformly.

  Note that the thawing procedure in the thawing chamber of the cryopreservation apparatus is the same as in the first embodiment.

  In the fourth embodiment, at least the pipe 121d, the blower 122, and the heater 123 constitute hot air generating means, and the hot air generating means and the tube fixing jig 111d provide hot air generating blow. The attaching means is constituted.

  In the above description of each embodiment, the thawing processing chamber 1 as a part of the cryopreservation apparatus has been described as an example. However, the thawing process chamber 1 having the same configuration and function is independent from the cryopreservation apparatus. It may be a device.

  Moreover, although the barcode is adopted as a code indicating the identification management number or the like, the present invention is not limited to this, and other identification codes may be used.

  The thawing apparatus and cryopreservation apparatus of the present invention can be employed for cryopreservation and thawing of biological samples such as animal sperm, fertilized eggs, and cells.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Decompression processing chamber 11 ... Decompression processing zone 111a-111d ... Tube fixing jig 112 ... Decompression processing barcode reader (identification code reading means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Warming unit part 121a-121d ... Pipe line 2 ... Pass box 21 ... Bar code reader for cryopreservation sample management 3 ... Cryopreservation container 4 ... Triaxial robot 5. ··· Kane 6 ··· Cup-shaped storage portion 7 · · · Tube for cryopreservation 8 · Transfer chamber 9 · Box 10 · Defrosting operation panel BL · Bar code label (identification code) )

Claims (9)

An apparatus for thawing a frozen biological sample enclosed in a cryopreservation tube with an identification code,
A hot air generating blowing means for heating a dry gas having a dew point of −40 ° C. or lower to generate hot air, and the generated hot air uniformly warms the periphery of the cryopreservation tube;
And an identification code reading means for reading the identification code. The hot air generating and blowing means is
A tube fixing jig having a base portion on which the cryopreservation tube is placed, and an impeller fixed to the base portion in a rotationally coaxial manner;
A hot air generating means for generating a first hot air blown to the impeller and a second hot air blown to the cryopreservation tube;
The thawing device according to claim 1, wherein the second warm air is blown while the cryopreservation tube is rotated by the rotation of the impeller. The hot air generating and blowing means is
A base portion on which the cryopreservation tube is placed, a transparent fixed cylinder that surrounds the placed cryopreservation tube with a predetermined clearance, and an impeller fixed to the base portion on a rotational axis. A tube fixing jig having,
Hot air generating means for generating hot air blown to the impeller, and
The thawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hot air that has rotated the impeller passes through the clearance while the cryopreservation tube is rotated by the rotation of the impeller. The hot air generating and blowing means is
The tube for cryopreservation is placed, and a tube fixing jig having a swirl flow generating member that outputs the introduced warm air as a swirl flow, and the cryopreservation tube placed has a predetermined clearance. A tube fixing jig having a transparent fixing cylinder enclosing,
And a warm air generating means for generating the warm air to be introduced into the handed circumfluence generating member,
The thawing device according to claim 1, wherein the warm air as the swirling flow passes through the clearance. The hot air generating and blowing means is
A tube fixing jig having a base portion on which the cryopreservation tube is placed;
A motor for rotating the tube fixing jig;
Hot air generating means for generating hot air blown to the cryopreservation tube, and
The thawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hot air is blown while the cryopreservation tube is rotated by the motor. The warm air generating means includes
A pipeline,
A blower for introducing dry gas into the pipeline;
The thawing device according to claim 2, further comprising: a heater that warms the dry gas introduced into the pipe and generates the first hot air and the second hot air .   The warm air generating means includes
  A pipeline,
  A blower for introducing dry gas into the pipeline;
  The thawing device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, further comprising a heater that warms the dry gas introduced into the pipe and generates the warm air. A cryopreservation container containing at least one cryopreservation tube in which a frozen biological sample is enclosed and an identification code is attached;
A transfer transfer chamber filled with a dry gas and serving as a loading / unloading work space for the cryopreservation tube with respect to the cryopreservation container;
A pass box provided between an external environment and the transfer and transfer chamber, for delivering the cryopreservation tube;
A cryopreservation apparatus comprising a thawing chamber for performing a thawing process on the cryopreservation tube,
The thawing treatment chamber generates a warm air by heating a dry gas having a dew point of −40 ° C. or less, and the generated warm air uniformly warms the periphery of the cryopreservation tube; A cryopreservation apparatus comprising an identification code reading means for reading an identification code. The cryopreservation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the pass box and the thawing chamber are configured by dividing a box with a partition plate.

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