SBIR-STTR Award

Today, there are primarily two ways to track samples in a liquid nitrogen freezer, manual methods and robotic systems. Manual tracking is by far the most common method today but it is prone to human error since samples can be misplaced, entries can be inaccurate, samples can be moved, removed, or added without accurately updating the database. Robotic freezers, on the other hand, keep accurate records but they (a) are very expensive, and (b) their capacity is signi?cantly reduced due to the robotics. The goal of this SBIR fast-track proposal, is to develop a functional prototype of a system that will allow real- time box tracking in a liquid nitrogen freezer. It will perform inventories without even opening the freezer. It will guide the users to the desired sample boxes for retrieval and alert them to errors (and how to correct them) when they occur. When used with our liquid nitrogen temperature box mapper a cold chain of custody from multiple freezers down to individual sample vials can be maintained and documented. This system will a?ord many of the bene?ts of a robotic system at about 10% of the price and without sacri?cing any freezer space at all. This system will capture the very large segment of the market between between single freezers with handwriLen notebooks and Excel spreadsheets on the one hand, and expensive robotic freezer systems on the other. New electronics that is compatible with the challenging liquid nitrogen environment and the associated low level software will need to be developed but other elements of the system such as the user interface can be adapted from BioTillion‘s existing products. To mitigate risk, we have already identi?ed and tested individual electronics components that function at -196 °C. The goal of the Phase I will be to design, fabricate and test (a) prototypes of the electronic designs needed to read RFID box tags at -196 °C and (b) RFID tagged labels that can be read at liquid nitrogen temperatures. The goal of the Phase II will be to use the Phase I results to develop a fully functional prototype of our system that will operate in a liquid nitrogen freezer.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Narrative Billions of biological samples are stored in liquid nitrogen based freezers. The goal of this project is to develop a real-time tracking system for sample boxes in a liquid nitrogen freezer and a method for maintaining a cold chain of custody for individual samples after the boxes have been removed from the freezer.

Project Terms:
Adopted; base; Biological; Cold Chains; Communities; Computer software; cost; Databases; design; Electronics; Elements; Embryo; Environment; Equipment and supply inventories; Freezing; Goals; graphical user interface; Human; human error; Human Resources; Individual; internal control; Label; Liquid substance; Location; Manuals; Maps; Mechanics; Medical; Memory; Methods; Nitrogen; Phase; Price; prototype; Records; Regenerative Medicine; Research; Retrieval; Risk; robotic system; Robotics; Sampling; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Study Section; success; System; Technology; Temperature; Testing; Time; Update; Vial device; Work; Writing

Today, there are primarily two ways to track samples in a liquid nitrogen freezer, manual methods and roboticsystems. Manual tracking is by far the most common method today but it is prone to human error sincesamples can be misplaced, entries can be inaccurate, samples can be moved, removed, or added withoutaccurately updating the database.Robotic freezers, on the other hand, keep accurate records but they (a) are very expensive, and (b) theircapacity is significantly reduced due to the robotics.The goal of this SBIR fast-track proposal, is to develop a functional prototype of a system that will allow real-timebox tracking in a liquid nitrogen freezer. It will perform inventories without even opening the freezer. Itwill guide the users to the desired sample boxes for retrieval and alert them to errors (and how to correctthem) when they occur.When used with our liquid nitrogen temperature box mapper a cold chain of custody from multiple freezersdown to individual sample vials can be maintained and documented.This system will afford many of the benefits of a robotic system at about 10% of the price and withoutsacrificing any freezer space at all.This system will capture the very large segment of the market between single freezers withhandwritten notebooks and Excel spreadsheets on the one hand, and expensive robotic freezer systems on theother.New electronics that is compatible with the challenging liquid nitrogen environment and the associated lowlevel software will need to be developed but other elements of the system such as the user interface can beadapted from BioTillion"˜s existing products. To mitigate risk, we have already identified and tested individualelectronics components that function at -196 °C.The goal of the Phase I will be to design, fabricate and test (a) prototypes of the electronic designs needed toread RFID box tags at -196 °C and (b) RFID tagged labels that can be read at liquid nitrogen temperatures.The goal of the Phase II will be to use the Phase I results to develop a fully functional prototype of our systemthat will operate in a liquid nitrogen freezer.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Narrative Billions of biological samples are stored in liquid nitrogen based freezers. The goal of this project is to develop a real-time tracking system for sample boxes in a liquid nitrogen freezer and a method for maintaining a cold chain of custody for individual samples after the boxes have been removed from the freezer.

Project Terms: