Cryopreservation device

• US 8,770,907 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2008
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Masahiro, Fujita, Mamoru, Yoshimura, Shigehiro, Ohta, Hidetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SNELTING, JONATHAN D
• Application Number:
  US12/812,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20100275636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 623/74, 623/75, 624/47, 624/579, 220/560.12, 220/560.14, 414/225.01
• US Class Current: 414/225.01
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0257 Stationary or portable vessels generating cryogenic temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0263 Non-refrigerated containers specially adapted for transporting or storing living parts whilst preserving, e.g. cool boxes, blood bags or "straws" for cryopreservation

Abstract

A cryopreservation vessel of the present invention includes a vessel body which holds a low-temperature liquefied gas, a cap which closes an opening section of the vessel body and has a plurality of through holes that are formed so as to pass through in a vertical direction, and ampoule storing tools which are housed so as to be able to pass through the through holes of the cap, and the ampoule storing tools are each comprised of a support pillar and a plurality of ampoule storing sections which are equipped with the support pillar so as to be arrayed in a vertical direction of the support pillar.

Claims

1. A cryopreservation vessel comprising:

a vessel body which holds a low-temperature liquefied gas;

a cap which closes an opening section of the vessel body and has a plurality of through holes that are formed so as to pass through in a vertical direction;

sheath tubes, each including a hollow portion disposed in one of the through holes of the cap; and

ampoule storing tools which are housed so as to be able to pass through the hollow portions of the sheath tubes, wherein

a plurality of gas permeable holes are formed in each of the sheath tubes, and

the ampoule storing tools are each comprised of a support pillar and a plurality of ampoule storing sections which are equipped with the support pillar so as to be arrayed in a vertical direction of the support pillar.

2. The cryopreservation vessel according to claim 1, wherein the ampoule storing tools comprises a thermal insulating section provided in the upper portion of the support pillar.

3. A glove box comprising:

a housing section which houses the cryopreservation vessel according to claim 1; and

a putting-in/out work space section which is provided so as to be communicated with an upper portion of the housing section, wherein

the putting-in/out work space section is transparently visible from outside, and is filled a dry gas to be at positive pressure, and

a putting-in/out work for an ampoule storing tool of the cryopreservation vessel housed in the housing section is performed inside the putting-in/out space section.

4. The glove box according to claim 3, wherein

a dew point meter for measuring a dew point in the putting-in/out work space section is provided, and

a dry gas supply section, which supplies a dry gas for lowering the dew point in the space section into the putting-in/out work space section in the case where a value indicated by the dew point meter shows a predetermined value or more, is provided.

5. The glove box according to claim 3, wherein

an automatic handling robot, which pulls up a specified ampoule storing tool from the cryopreservation vessel, and next pushes the specified ampoule storing tool, is provided at a ceiling portion of the putting-in/out work space section.

6. The glove box according to claim 5, wherein

the automatic handling robot operates by three-axial control based on instructions on a position of a specified ampoule storing tool and a position of an ampoule stored in the ampoule storing tool.

7. The glove box according to claim 6, wherein

the automatic handling robot is equipped with a gripper head, and

the gripper head travels in three-axis directions to move to a position of a specified ampoule storing tool, pulls up the ampoule storing tool until a specified ampoule is exposed from the cryopreservation vessel, and next pushes the ampoule storing tool.

8. The glove box according to claim 5, wherein

a pass box is provided to the putting-in/out work space section,

the pass box has an airtight operation port that opens outside, and has an upper housing pipe into which an ampoule storing tool pulled up from the cryopreservation vessel by the automatic handling robot is inserted, and

a takeoff port for taking out an ampoule from the inserted ampoule storing tool is formed in the upper housing pipe.

9. The glove box according to claim 8, wherein

the pass box is made of a transparent material, and an inside of the pass box is filled with a dry gas.

10. The glove box according to claim 8, wherein

a bar-code is put on the ampoule, and the ampoule of the ampoule storing tool taken out by the automatic handling robot is identified on the basis of identification management information of the bar-code.

11. The glove box according to claim 5, wherein

a pass box is provided to the putting-in/out work space section,

the pass box has an airtight operation port that opens outside, and has a back surface in which a longitudinal groove portion is formed such that an ampoule storing tool pulled up from the cryopreservation vessel by the automatic handling robot is set along the longitudinal groove portion, and

a takeoff port for taking out an ampoule from the inserted ampoule storing tool is formed in the longitudinal groove portion.

12. The glove box according to claim 11, wherein

the pass box is made of a transparent material, and an inside of the pass box is filled with a dry gas.

13. The glove box according to claim 11, wherein a bar-code is put on the ampoule, and the ampoule of the ampoule storing tool taken out by the automatic handling robot is identified on a basis of identification management information of the bar-code.

14. The glove box according to claim 3, wherein

a tube line for supplying a liquefied gas to the cryopreservation vessel is provided, and

the tube line passes through the housing section and the cryopreservation vessel, and one end of the tube line extends to a bottom portion of the cryopreservation vessel and the other end is connected to a liquefied gas supplier.

15. A cryopreservation vessel comprising:

a vessel body which holds a low-temperature liquefied gas;

a cap which closes an opening section of the vessel body and has a plurality of through holes that are formed so as to pass through in a vertical direction;

sheath tubes, each including a portion disposed so as to extend through an interior of one of the through holes of the cap; and

ampoule storing tools configured to pass through the portions of the sheath tubes,

wherein;

a plurality of gas permeable holes are formed in each of the sheath tubes, and

the ampoule storing tools are each comprised of a support pillar and a plurality of ampoule storing sections which are equipped with the support pillar so as to be arrayed in a vertical direction of the support pillar.

16. The cryopreservation vessel according to claim 15, wherein the ampoule storing tools are configured to be inserted into the vessel body via passage through the portions of the sheath tubes.

17. The cryopreservation vessel according to claim 16, wherein the portion of each sheath tube has a hollow configuration to receive therein one of the ampoule storing tools.

18. The cryopreservation vessel according to claim 15, wherein the ampoule storing tools comprises a thermal insulating section provided in the upper portion of the support pillar.

19. A glove box comprising:

a housing section which houses the cryopreservation vessel according to claim 15; and

a putting-in/out work space section which is provided so as to be communicated with an upper portion of the housing section, wherein

the putting-in/out work space section is transparently visible from outside, and is filled a dry gas to be at positive pressure, and

a putting-in/out work for an ampoule storing tool of the cryopreservation vessel housed in the housing section is performed inside the putting-in/out space section.

20. The glove box according to claim 19, wherein

a dew point meter for measuring a dew point in the putting-in/out work space section is provided, and

a dry gas supply section, which supplies a dry gas for lowering the dew point in the space section into the putting-in/out work space section in the case where a value indicated by the dew point meter shows a predetermined value or more, is provided.