Dry shipper with inner canister and shipping case

A dry shipper, or cryoshipper, is a container specifically engineered to transport biological specimens at

cryogenic In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. The 13th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington DC in 1971) endorsed a universal definition of “cryogenics” and “cr ...

temperatures utilizing the vapor phase of

liquid nitrogen Liquid nitrogen—LN2—is nitrogen in a liquid state at low temperature. Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of about . It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is a colorless, low viscosity liquid that is wide ...

Function

The architecture of a dry shipper encompasses two primary components: an internal canister and an external protective shell. The inner canister, designed to hold biological specimens, is positioned within the vapor phase of the liquid nitrogen. This configuration ensures that the specimens are maintained at temperatures below -150 °C for prolonged durations. A distinctive feature of dry shippers is their ability to avert direct contact between samples and liquid nitrogen, reducing risks of contamination and ensuring consistent cryogenic conditions during transit.

Applications

Dry shippers serve various sectors in both the scientific and medical arenas. In the realm of reproductive medicine, these containers facilitate the transportation of delicate biological entities, including

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

ova , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

and

embryos An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sper ...

. Within the research landscape, they are employed to carry materials such as

spermatozoa A spermatozoon (; also spelled spermatozoön; ; ) is a motile sperm cell, or moving form of the haploid cell that is the male gamete. A spermatozoon joins an ovum to form a zygote. (A zygote is a single cell, with a complete set of chromosomes, ...

or preimplantation embryos of

genetically modified mouse A genetically modified mouse or genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) is a house mouse, mouse (''Mus musculus'') that has had its genome altered through the use of genetic engineering techniques. Genetically modified mice are commonly used for ...

strains, safeguarding the integrity and viability of these research assets during their journey. Moreover, biobanks, which archive diverse biological specimens for subsequent scientific exploration, utilize dry shippers to dispatch and acquire samples from researchers worldwide.

Alternative for specimen transport

One common alternative to dry shippers is using dry ice. This method reduces package weight and costs since there's no need for return shipping, unlike with dry shippers. However, at -80 °C, dry ice might not provide a temperature low enough for all specimens. For instance, while cryopreserved mouse spermatozoa can handle this temperature for short periods without losing their

fertilization Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a new individual organism or offspring and initiate its development. Proce ...

capacity, cryopreserved mouse embryos require colder environments, such as those below -150 °C in dry shippers, to maintain their quality. Another method is shipping freeze-dried samples at ambient temperatures, as seen with freeze-dried mouse spermatozoa. This can be more cost-effective, but many samples, when freeze-dried, experience a notable decline in quality, limiting its applicability.

References

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External links

Capacities of different dry shippers
illustrated by the

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

Laboratory mouse strains Transport Cryogenics Genetically modified organisms

Function

Applications

Alternative for specimen transport

See also

References

External links