Standardized Sample Thawing: The Last Mile in the Cryopreservation Process

As scientists, we are rigorous in our approach to sample preparation and freezing. Yet despite this, the preparation process often falls down at the final hurdle, when we come to thaw our samples. Dirty water baths, samples floating when the water level is too high, uncontrolled water temperature and dubious control of thawing time can all affect sample performance or lead to specimen contamination.

BioCision recently announced the availability of the ThawSTAR™ automated sample thawing system, which utilizes a breakthrough technology to address the 'last mile' in the cryopreservation process.

Sonia Nicholas, SelectScience’s Clinical Diagnostics Editor, spoke to Eric Kunkel, Senior VP of R&D at BioCision.

SN: What thawing methods currently exist for use in the cell cryopreservation workflow and what are the problems associated with these methods?
EK: Current methods of thawing include swirling samples in communal water baths, using dry bead baths or heat blocks, or warming samples between the hands. These methods are not standardized and have the potential to jeopardize the integrity and safety of the sample. In addition, in GMP and clinical settings, water baths are not a viable solution, leaving virtually no options for reliable and well-controlled thawing.

SN: How does ThawSTAR address these issues?
EK: The ThawSTAR system is a fully solid state system, so it is compatible with research, manufacturing and clinical settings. Heat is applied uniformly and consistently for a rapid thaw. ThawSTAR uses unique adaptive sensing technology to monitor vial temperature, phase change initiation and thaw completion. This hands-free operation eliminates the guesswork and subjectivity of determining the thawing end point. The result is highly reproducible thawing user-to-user, sample-to-sample, and day-to-day.

SN: What kind of samples can ThawSTAR be used for?
EK: The system has been designed initially for the most common research cryovial size, the 1.8 ml vial, containing volumes between 0.5 and 1.5 ml. ThawSTAR can thaw samples directly from LN2 storage or -80°C freezers. It is ideal for thawing cells or other frozen biospecimens.

SN: How long does it take to thaw a sample?
EK: To operate the ThawSTAR, you simply insert one frozen cryogenic vial and wait approximately 2-3 minutes. Light patterns indicate the state of the thaw. When thaw cycle is complete, the instrument chimes and the vial is raised for easy removal for downstream processing.

SN: Can customers purchase the system from any country?
EK: The product is available for global distribution.

Image Caption: Eric J. Kunkel, PhD, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Biocision.