Overview

Harvard University and Allied Minds have partnered to create CryoXtract Instruments, LLC to commercialize a robotic system that increases the efficiency of frozen sample-handling operations. By eliminating the need to thaw the samples before extracting aliquots, this technology will maintain the biological stability and integrity of the remaining quantities, extend the usable life of the biological specimens, decrease operating costs, increase throughput, and reduce lead times.

When collecting biological tissue and fluid specimens to support research in such areas as biomarkers, nutrition, and functional genomics scientists often lack the physical resources to perform immediate analyses. Protecting the integrity of the collected samples is important for research purposes. Freezing the samples is a ubiquitous method of extending the usable life of the biological specimens and preserving their integrity during long term storage while resources are made available for the required analyses. Some proteins and RNA are known to degrade if not frozen; small molecule compounds in DMSO absorb water vapor, thereby compromising the solubility of some of the compounds.


Frozen biospecimens are found in biorepositories, biobanks, diagnostic labs, commercial research labs, and non-profit organizations such as hospitals and university research laboratories. In addition to clinical practice and research uses, frozen specimens are routinely collected and stored in the dairy and food industries, and in the chemical and biochemical industries. These samples are used to document the quality of each batch of production, and genetic materials are collected for preservation and future developmental uses. There are more than 500 million stored samples in the U.S. - the majority being frozen liquid specimens, including whole blood, blood components, urine, sperm, eggs, DNA, and biocompounds.


All current methods of processing these frozen samples require thawing before aliquots can be prepared. This can be a critical issue because freeze-thaw cycling is detrimental to the fidelity of the specimens and makes for a time-consuming process. With regulatory bodies such as the US Federal and Drug Administration demanding stronger assurances of sample integrity in clinical trial data, minimizing or eliminating repeated cycles of freeze-thaw will ensure the highest quality samples reach the laboratories.


The CryoXtract technology was developed by Dale Larson, Director of Biomedical Engineering at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., while at the Harvard University Medical School, in collaboration with John Slusarz of the Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Jeffrey Ruberti, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and others at Northeastern University.