Rør eller små sugerør til kryogen opbevaring af biologiske prøver, såsom virus, og fremgangsmåde til fyldning deraf

摘要

The tube, referred to as a straw (1), of the invention is conventional in shape, and consists of a rectilinear section (10) of transparent tubular sheathing. In the vicinity of a first end (11), the straw contains a sliding seal with a dose of powder which can be gelled by hydration (20) between two porous plugs (21 and 22). The tubular sheathing (10) is extruded from an ionomer resin marketed under the brand name Surlyn 8921. Ionomer resins exhibit, above and below a transition range extending from 45 DEG to 60 DEG C approximately, heat-meltable and crosslinked states, respectively. Thus, the straw (1) can be closed by melting the ends (11 and 12) clamped in heated jaws, while exhibiting properties of rigidity at room temperature. In addition, the ionomer resin used does not possess an embrittlement temperature, so that it can be handled at cryogenic temperatures (77K) without special precautions. The filling and sealing of the straws can be automated in order to preserve the safety of the operators.