First -80°C Liquid Nitrogen-Based, Automated Storage System to Offer Inventory Control, Reporting Capabilities

(Brooks Life Sciences: Chelmsford MA) -- Brooks Life Sciences, a division of Brooks Automation, announces the immediate availability of BioStore IIIv, an automated next-generation alternative to manual -80° mechanical freezers. BioStore IIIv provides the documentation rigor when managing high-value inventories that require repeatable processes.

BioStore IIIv operates similar to a vending machine. After a secure login has been entered, the touchscreen interface lets the user request a targeted item. The patented design automatically locates and lifts the storage racks and will eject the targeted material upon the user indicating they are ready to receive it. This design of the BioStore IIIv protects all materials by providing a stable temperature during inventory interactions. For comparison, a mechanical freezer chamber can warm by as much as 40° during a routine door opening with an additional period of time for the system to re-cool when the door is closed. These routine door openings are often undocumented and are not accurately reflected during the audit process.

“Covid-19 and advanced therapy researchers are modernizing and automating their processes, especially around critical and high-value samples,” says Robin Vacha, senior vice president and general manager, Life Sciences Products Division at Brooks Life Sciences. “Today, research groups are often required to demonstrate a consistent and documented cold chain, especially as they strive to create new and life-saving diagnostic and treatment solutions.” 

As the global biobanking market continues to grow, so does the need to build scalable and automated processes to support high-value inventory management including GMP environments. The product has optional reporting software that supports automated documentation for 21-CFR-11 regulated environments.  

Ergonomically designed, energy-efficient and easy to use, BioStore IIIv is a robust inventory solution for -80°C storage without manual processes. As such, components such as viral vectors, DNA, and other materials require -80°C automated storage to support new product development. Conversely, managing high-value collections in a manual way requires the right person with the proper training to sustain accurate processing consistency long-term and may require staff to work weekends and holidays to monitor alarms. 

The BioStore IIIv secure login registers and controls all access to materials and the onboard inventory management can control quarantined materials or segregate other collections such as QA/QC materials. In the event of a natural or man-made disaster, BioStore IIIv has built-in protection—with the industry’s longest temperature hold time and can maintain safe temperatures for upwards of four days—an improvement of 16X over -80°C mechanical freezers. Minimal personal protection equipment is required, making BioStore IIIv one of the safest and easiest to use biobanking products on the market. 

A single BioStore IIIv freezer holds up to 63,000 2.0 ml vials. BioStore IIIv works individually and with BioStore III Cryo for -190°C biobanking on a single platform covering a range of temperatures in a consistent and automated way. Available directly from Brooks Life Sciences, customers can click here to learn more about BioStore IIIv. 

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