| 摘要 |
A method used in low temperature storage of biological specimens comprises the steps of (a) maintaining a multiplicity of biological specimens within a predetermined low temperature range in a cryogenic storage unit, (b) selecting at least one biological specimen for removal from the storage unit, (c) determining a respective thaw period and thaw rate for the selected specimen, (d) automatically retrieving the selected specimen from the storage unit at removal time in accordance with the respective determined thaw period, and (e) automatically thawing the selected specimen at the respective thaw rate. An associated thawing system comprises a storage unit for maintaining a plurality of biological specimens within a predetermined low temperature range, a plurality of thawing chambers, and a heat exchange assembly for implementing a temperature change in each of the chambers independently of temperature changes in the other chambers. A servomechanism is provided for retrieving selected specimens from the storage unit and transfering the retrieved specimens to respective thawing chambers, while a control unit is operatively connected to the heat exchange assembly and the servomechanism for operating the heat exchange assembly to control rates of temperature changes in the thawing chambers and for activating the servomechanism to transfer the selected specimens from the storage unit to the respective chambers. |
