Skip to main content

Cookies

This site uses cookies to provide you with a more responsive and personalized service. By using this site you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Please read our cookie policy for more information on the use of cookies on this website.

Top
  • COVID-19
    • COVID-19 Resources
  • Solutions
    • By Market
      • Academic Research
      • Agriculture
      • Biobanking
      • Government
      • Pharma and Biotech
      • Research Foundations
    • By Application
      • Clinical Trial Sample Management
      • Discovery, Compound Management and Biologics
      • Molecular Diagnostic Solutions
      • Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy
      • Sample Preparation and Lab Services
      • Sample Transport and Cold-Chain Logistics
      • Vaccine Development
    • Geography
      • Asia-Pacific
      • Europe
      • North America
  • Products
    • Azenta Life Sciences Virtual Booth
    • Automated Sample Storage Systems
      • Cold Storage (Ambient to -20°C)
      • Ultra Cold Storage (ULT -80°C)
      • Cryogenic Storage (-190°C)
    • Consumables & Instruments
      • Sample Tube Solutions
      • PCR & Microplate Solutions
      • Sample Cooling & Heating Labware
    • Informatics Platforms & LIMS/LIS
    • Integrations
    • Sterilization Services
    • Microplate Coding Services
  • Services
    • Genomics Services by GENEWIZ
    • Sample and Material Management Solutions
    • Sample and Material Storage
    • Clinical Trial Management
    • Drug Products Storage and Distribution
    • Sample Sourcing
    • Sample Prep and Lab Services
    • Lab Moving and Biological Transport
    • Business Continuity and Risk Mitigation
  • Support
    • Technical Support
    • Product Support Plans
    • Product Updates
    • Sample Tube Pack Request
    • Plate & Seal Sample Request
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Events
    • About Azenta Life Sciences
    • Management Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Global Locations
    • Investor Relations
    • News
    • Careers
    • Quality
    • Certifications
  • Contact Us

Utility Navigation

  • Life Sciences Customer Login
  • GENEWIZ
  • BioInventory Login
  • Portals Login
  • Portals
  • Careers
Home

Utility Navigation

  • Life Sciences Customer Login
  • GENEWIZ
  • BioInventory Login
  • Portals Login
  • Portals
  • Careers

Main Navigation

  • COVID-19
    Vaccine Development
    Vaccine Development

    Accelerating global operations to manage and process samples critical to vaccine development.

    Azenta Life Sciences Virtual Booth
    Azenta Life Sciences Virtual Booth

    The exhibition experience to your desktop or mobile device

    • COVID-19 Resources
  • Solutions
    • By Market
      • Academic Research
      • Agriculture
      • Biobanking
      • Government
      • Pharma and Biotech
      • Research Foundations
    • By Application
      • Clinical Trial Sample Management
      • Discovery, Compound Management and Biologics
      • Molecular Diagnostic Solutions
      • Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy
      • Sample Preparation and Lab Services
      • Sample Transport and Cold-Chain Logistics
      • Vaccine Development
    • Geography
      • Asia-Pacific
      • Europe
      • North America
    Resources Center

    Learn about sample management best practices, gain advice from industry leaders, gain access to global regulatory and logistics guidelines and find simple support tools that can help you make better sample management decisions.

    Resources Center
  • Products
    Azenta Sample Pack and Catalog
    Sample Tube Pack Request

    Improve sample tracking, ensure sample integrity and drive process efficiency with Azenta Sample Storage Tubes. Explore the range, and select the best tube for your workflow.

    Low DNA Binding Microplates
    Low Binding Microplates

    Ultra low DNA binding microplates made from PP, fit for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and other sensitive applications with ultra-low DNA input. Off the shelf options. Custom solutions on request.

    • Azenta Life Sciences Virtual Booth
    • Automated Sample Storage Systems
      • Cold Storage (Ambient to -20°C)
      • Ultra Cold Storage (ULT -80°C)
      • Cryogenic Storage (-190°C)
    • Consumables & Instruments
      • Sample Tube Solutions
      • PCR & Microplate Solutions
      • Sample Cooling & Heating Labware
    • Informatics Platforms & LIMS/LIS
    • Integrations
    • Sterilization Services
    • Microplate Coding Services
  • Services
    Clinical Trial Management
    Clinical Trial Management

    Life science organizations must collect and manage large numbers of research samples to bring a new therapeutic or diagnostic to market. This is a complex process.

    Sample Preparation & Lab Analytical Services
    Genomics Services by GENEWIZ

    Comprehensive genomics services provide end to end solutions and best-in-class data quality from the trusted experts in genomics.

    • Genomics Services by GENEWIZ
    • Sample and Material Management Solutions
    • Sample and Material Storage
    • Clinical Trial Management
    • Drug Products Storage and Distribution
    • Sample Sourcing
    • Sample Prep and Lab Services
    • Lab Moving and Biological Transport
    • Business Continuity and Risk Mitigation
  • Support
    disaster recovery
    How Safe Are Your Samples?

    Plastic storage tubes are used in laboratories worldwide to store biological and chemical samples.

    Product Support Plans
    Product Support Plans

    Azenta  Life Sciences' world class service team is committed to ensuring you meet your business objectives by providing a flexible portfolio of service products designed to optimize up-time and productivity.

    • Technical Support
    • Product Support Plans
    • Product Updates
    • Sample Tube Pack Request
    • Plate & Seal Sample Request
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • About Us
    Putting a Sample Kit in an envelope
    Quality Assurance Certifications

    Azenta Life Sciences has established, documented, implemented and currently maintains a quality management system that fulfills the needs of customers.

    About Azenta Life Sciences
    About Azenta Life Sciences

    We are Azenta Life Sciences. We provide unrivaled sample exploration and management solutions to help our customers accelerate discovery, development and delivery.

    • Events
    • About Azenta Life Sciences
    • Management Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Global Locations
    • Investor Relations
    • News
    • Careers
    • Quality
    • Certifications
  • Contact Us

Blog

You are here

  • Home
  • Blog
  • For Cryogenic Samples, Dry Ice Is Unwise

For Cryogenic Samples, Dry Ice Is Unwise

June 11, 2018

dry ice

 

To avoid deterioration, cryogenic samples are generally stored in liquid nitrogen or its vapor phase at temperatures around -170°C. During transport, some scientists place these samples on dry ice. However, research shows putting cryogenic samples on dry ice can warm them faster than exposure to room temperature. The culprits: convection and conduction.

Cryogenic samples such as eukaryotic cell-based therapeutics require storage at temperatures below the threshold for the glass transition phase of water (Tg-H2O, approximately -135°C). Storage under those conditions avoids biological activity and minimizes loss of post-thaw cell viability.1 Keeping eukaryotic cell solutions at temperatures higher than Tg-H2O introduces serious risks. When encapsulated liver cell spheroids were stored at -80°C, decreased viable cell numbers and cell function were detected after just one month of storage compared with the same cells stored at -170°C.2 Liquid nitrogen (LN2) and its vapor phase provide a safe environment for such samples, maintaining temperatures at around -170°C or lower. LN2, first produced in 1883 by Polish physicists, is now used as a coolant in many industrial environments from computers to cameras – and superconductors to vacuum pumps. It is indispensable in any research that involves cryogenic samples.

An alternative medium often used in biomedical and molecular biology research for temperature management is dry ice, the solid form of carbon dioxide. This material sublimates at -78°C, and its uses are as varied as those for liquid nitrogen. Many laboratories rely on dry ice to maintain a cold environment during transport of their biological materials. However, transporting biosamples on dry ice has some surprising and important drawbacks. Studies show that dry ice results in acidification of sample solutions stored in screwcap tubes and potentially affects protein stability.3 Moreover, post-thaw viability of human lymphocytes suspended in 10 percent DMSO was markedly decreased when they were shipped on dry ice compared to shipment in LN2 vapor-phase.4

The most surprising result was obtained in tests where 2ml vials of cryogenic samples were transferred from their liquid nitrogen environment into dry ice with their temperatures continuously monitored. The samples reached and surpassed the glass transition temperature of water within 15 to 25 seconds after placement in dry ice.5 Astoundingly, this was about two times faster than when these samples were exposed to the ambient environment. How could this be?

The explanation lies in two physical phenomena: convection and conduction. 

First, the carbon dioxide sublimation of dry ice results in a microenvironment with enhanced convection – i.e. directed movement of molecules within fluids such as gases. Much like in a convection oven, this effect enables increased heat transmission to any matter placed into this environment. The outcome is an accelerated warm-up of cryogenic samples up to the temperature of the dry ice (-78°C). This warm-up is substantial, as dry ice is about 90°C warmer than the LN2 vapor storage environment of those samples. 

Second, the direct contact of the cryogenic tube walls with the dry ice caused an enhanced conductive heat transfer via direct molecular collision to the cryogenic sample tube.5 So, researchers who seek to protect their cryogenic material from warming by placing it into dry ice during short transport achieve quite the opposite: a faster warm-up to temperatures above Tg-H2O.

How can such warming events be avoided? Simple. Never placing cryogenic samples into an environment warmer than -135°C. Fortunately, solutions that enable transport of cryogenic samples under these temperatures exist.

Azenta Life Sciences offers the cost-effective CryoPod™ Carrier – a portable LN2 vapor-based and lightweight piece of equipment that reliably holds samples at -150°C or colder for over four hours. With this device, scientists can effectively avoid thermal excursions of their valuable cryogenic samples during handling or transport. This is the reason why it is recommended among best practices for handling cryopreserved cell suspensions.

References

1. Hubel A., Spindler R., Skubitz A. Storage of Human Biospecimens: Selection of the Optimal Storage Temperature. Biopreservation and Biobanking. 2014. 12(3): 165-175. DOI: 10.1089/bio.2013.0084. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24918763 

2. Massie I., Selden C., Hodgson H., Fuller B. Storage temperatures for cold-chain delivery in cell therapy: A study of alginate-encapsulated liver cell spheroids stored at - 80°C or -170°C for up to 1 year. Tissue Engineer Part C: Methods. 2013. 19(3):189–195. doi: 10.1089/ten.tec.2012.0307 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3557435/ 

3. Murphy BM, Swarts S, Mueller BM, van der Geer P, Manning MC, Fitchmun MI. Protein instability following transport or storage on dry ice. Nat Methods. 2013. 10(4):278-9. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.2409. https://www.nature.com/articles/nmeth.2409.pdf

4. Kofanova OA1, Davis K, Glazer B, De Souza Y, Kessler J, Betsou F; ISBER Biospecimen Science Working Group. Viable mononuclear cell stability study for implementation in a proficiency testing program: impact of shipment conditions. Biopreserv Biobank. 2014. 12(3):206-16. doi: 10.1089/bio.2013.0090. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4955601/ 

5. Salvetti, M., Fink, J. Barlett, A., Stira, M., Warhurst, J. Thermal excursions of cryogenically frozen vials (below -150°C) and the risk of rising above Tg: analyzing warm-up rates from cryogenic storage to both dry ice and ambient temperature environments. Cytotherapy. 2015. 17(6):S26. https://www.labrepco.com/data/file-downloads/Thermal_excursions_of_cryogenically_frozen_vials__below_-150C__and_the_risk_of_rising_above_Tg_H2O_with_both_dry_ice_and_ambient_environments_1485467833.pdf

6. Simione F, Sharp T. Best practices for storing and shipping cryopreserved cells. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. 2017. 53(10):888-895. doi: 10.1007/s11626-017-0214-6. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11626-017-0214-6 

  • Cryopreservation
Home
Facebook twitter youtube linkedin
Copyright © 2023 Azenta US, Inc.

Footer menu

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Terms of Use
  • Careers
  • Subscribe