The Mill Valley, California, US-based developer of portable tools for temperature-sensitive biomedical sample handling says the portable and reusable cartridge technology eliminates the risk of contamination and temperature variability associated with the use of ice.
Unlike sealed plastic coolers, which require refreezing overnight, CoolBox gives unlimited cooling by simply switching cartridges, the company says. The cartridges consist of a gel pack with a thermo-conductive alloy shell, which enables fast recharge in a standard –20ºC lab freezer. A single cartridge provides 4–10 hours of ice-free cooling at 0.5ºC to 4ºC depending on whether the CoolBox lid is off or on.
BioCision’s CoolBox PCR96 and CoolBox PCR384 system kits each include one CoolBox Microplate with lid, one CoolRack PCR (either 384- or 96-well) and one +2ºC cooling cartridge. Additional +2ºC cartridges are available separately.
The kit offers iso-temperature control during the entire cooling period and the thermo-conductivity of CoolRack PCR ensures the system will quickly equilibrate to +2ºC, with less than 0.1ºC variation between wells, eliminating temperature inconsistencies between centre and outer rows.
Brian Schryver, BioCision’s vice president of research and product development, says the compact design and ice-free technology make CoolBox an ideal choice for use in tissue culture hoods, biosafety cabinets, GMP suites and other situations where space is restricted or where ice could be a source of contamination.
‘The versatility of the system is unrivalled, with the option of using dry ice rather than a cartridge cooling source, when CoolBox becomes a personal benchtop cryo-station. Samples can be safely snap-frozen, without the use of alcohol, in less than 30 seconds,’ he added.
The CoolBox is lightweight and fracture-proof enabling it to be used for patient or biomedical sample collection.
The CoolBox Microplate is also compatible with CoolSink SBS format thermoconductive multiwell plate holders and CoolRack for 96 x 1ml storage tubes such as those from Matrix or Micronics, among others.
