The invention discloses a chip carrier for single sperm or extremely small amount of sperms, comprising a chip carrier, an X indicator axis, a Y indicator axis, and microarrays; the chip carrier is composed of a coating layer, a polymeric material layer and specific antibodies adsorbed on the coating layer; the polymeric material layer is located at the bottom of the chip carrier; the upper surface of the polymeric material layer is attached to the lower surface of the coating layer; the coating layer is provided with several microarrays. Single sperm or extremely small amount of sperms can be stored which realizes the effective storage of single sperm or extremely small amount of sperms, to avoid cross-contamination; in addition, precise access to sperm can be realized, and the maneuverability is very strong, which can solve the requirement of cryopreservation of sperm in patients with very few sperms.

A container includes a vial, cap, and one or more wireless transponders secured to the cap, the vial or a jacket to store and identify samples of biological material at cryogenic temperatures (e.g., vitrified biological samples), for instance held by cryopreservation storage devices. A specimen holder may be extend from the cap. The vial and/or cap includes ports or vents. A carrier includes a box, thermal shunt, thermal insulation to store and identify arrays of containers that hold cryopreservation storage devices with samples of biological material at cryogenic temperatures. Various apparatus include wireless transponders positioned and oriented to enhance range, and allow interrogation while retained in a carrier. Various apparatus can maintain the biological material at or close to cryogenic temperatures for prolonged period of times after being removed from a cryogenic cooler, and can allow wireless inventorying while maintaining the biological samples at suitably cold temperatures.

The invention relates to a freezing machine (150) for freezing samples, encompassing: a freezing device (140) for freezing a sample received in the freezing machine (150); a container (100) for receiving the frozen sample, having a reservoir (105) for liquid nitrogen; and a transfer apparatus for transferring the frozen sample from the freezing device (140) into the container (100), the container (100) comprising at least two receiving devices (104), separated from one another, each for at least one frozen sample; a selection apparatus being provided for selecting one of the receiving devices (104) for a frozen sample that is to be transferred into the container (100), the freezing machine (150) being configured to carry out the transfer of the frozen sample, by means of the transfer apparatus, into the respectively selected receiving device (104) of the container (100); and to a method for transferring frozen samples into a container provided therefor.

Methods of preparing ovarian tissue for primordial follicle growth are presented comprising the steps: providing an ovarian tissue sample comprising cortical tissue and stromal tissue; removing damaged tissue from the ovarian tissue sample where present; removing excess stromal tissue from the ovarian tissue sample where present; and then mechanically stretching the ovarian tissue sample along at least one dimension of the ovarian tissue sample, such that the size of the ovarian tissue sample along the at least one dimension is increased by at least 10%. Methods of growing viable oocyte in vitro, and methods of preparing individual ovarian follicles for growth are also presented.

A cryopreservation instrument and method of using is provided. The instrument includes a substantially planar elongated member comprising a cryosafe material. The elongated member has a first end and a second end. The first end comprises a cap insert dimensioned and configured to be fit in the interior recess of a vial cap, the second end comprises a biological contact portion configured to accommodate biological material.

An apparatus is provided for use with a fluid that contains biological cells, e.g. seminal fluid. The apparatus (20) includes a tray (22) shaped to define a flat upper surface configured to support the fluid, and an underside. The apparatus (20) further includes a plurality of protrusions protruding from the underside of the tray, which may serve to separate the underside from a flat surface on which the tray is placed, or as delineating protrusions that facilitate subsequent retrieval of the fluid following placement on the tray. The tray has a thickness between 0.4 and 0.8 mm, and is transparent or translucent. The upper surface preferably has a level of hydrophobicity that is sufficient for droplets to maintain their shape to a certain extent. A handle (52) facilitates handling of the tray. The apparatus typically fits into a standard-sized cryogenic vial (70).

Disclosed are a carrier, a vacuumizing device, and a tissue cryopreservation system. The carrier is provided with at least one freezing chamber for loading a tissue, and a contact surface of the freezing chamber that comes into contact with the tissue is provided with a plurality of flow guide holes. The carrier may cooperate with the vacuumizing device so as to suck away excess liquid, such as a protective agent, on a surface of the tissue by vacuum, and discharge the liquid from the freezing chamber through the flow guide holes, thereby reducing the toxicity damage that may be caused by prolonged contact between the tissue and a high-concentration protective agent.

The technology described herein is directed to methods of cryopreservation, e.g., cryopreservation in a microfluidics format and methods of utilizing cells preserved by such methods.

A collected living tissue cryopreserving tool is composed of a tissue piece holder and a resin-made accommodating bag. The tissue piece holder is composed of a plate-shaped body part including a thermally conductive plate-shaped lower member and a plate-shaped upper member and a covering sheet held by the plate-shaped body part. The tissue piece holder has a tissue piece placing part formed of a cut-out part provided on the plate-shaped upper member and a part, of an upper surface of the thermally conductive plate-shaped lower member, which is disposed at the cut-out part. The covering sheet is capable of covering the tissue piece placing part.

An apparatus (300) for storing body tissue (306) cryogenically comprising a plurality of storage units (350), each storage unit (350) comprising a cavity (352) configured to receive a portion of body tissue (306), wherein at least one storage unit (350) is detachably connected to at least one other storage unit (350).