Connectivity. The future for cryogenic storage

Transform the safety, management and compliance of your cryogenic storage through connectivity.

In the modern world, connectivity seems to be everywhere. Connected cars, interconnected appliances, even the ‘Internet of Things’, where all our daily technology ‘talks’ to each other.

And while in many ways it may still sound like science fiction, it’s quietly transforming our lives for the better. And now connectivity’s about to do the same for cryogenic storage – with important advantages for lab managers, regulatory/compliance teams and executive decision-makers alike.

A changing landscape

The majority of cryogenic storage facilities still work as they always have: managing assets with a mix of local practices, monitoring each vessel individually using standalone tools that don’t naturally work together.

Connective technology will change that. It brings everything together into one unified system, gathering data at source from each storage vessel into one connected, secure platform that’s constantly accessible for compliance needs and to take any necessary action. While it’s a change of mindset, treating cryogenic storage as a complete digital infrastructure rather than a mix of disparate, isolated components brings many benefits – including reduced risk, improved sample security and confidence in compliance – all using one simplified system.

How it works

One of the first such systems is the new MVE CryoVerse™, available from Air Products.  Designed as a fully integrated cryogenic storage ecosystem, it consists of three key components: CryoVerse™ Monitor, an integrated monitoring device that captures operational and condition data at source; CryoVerse™ Connect, a touchscreen ‘command centre’ that acts as a bridge between users and the cloud intelligence platform; and CryoVerse™ Cloud, the central platform where all the data is stored, with predictive analytics and global dashboards.

The key element here is the CryoVerse™ Monitor, which tracks all the critical factors that can affect stored samples – including condition monitoring – to provide visibility on temperature and system performance together with diagnostics and predictive alerts to identify irregularities as early as possible. MVE describe it as ‘transforming cryogenic storage from passive containment into a data-driven management system’.

With all the components working together – Monitor, Connect and Cloud – as one integrated ecosystem, CryoVerse™ offers far greater cryogenic confidence than ever before through on-device control and data visibility, integrated monitoring and alerts, and secure cloud access, dashboards and analytics. And the benefits don’t stop there.

The benefits it brings

While you might expect technology to add complexity, an integrated ecosystem such as CryoVerse™ is specifically designed for operational simplicity; and when compared with current working practices, the benefits it brings are remarkable.

Current set-ups generally have ‘visibility gaps’, where teams can’t easily see what’s happening across storage assets (especially in multi-site situations); third party add-ons and separate tools lead to mismatched records and incomplete histories; checks are carried out manually, which takes time, labour and always carries the risk of errors; and of course, wherever there’s risk there are costly consequences for failure – a single unnoticed excursion or handling incident can compromise irreplaceable biological materials.

A digital infrastructure for cryogenic storage avoids all these problems, with:

• Confidence and control at the equipment level through the command centre interface and operational data visibility
• Integrated monitoring without bolt-ons, reducing the need for external devices and manual checks to create a single trusted system
• Centralised oversight and insight through cloud dashboards and analytics, giving you the data you need to make proactive decisions
• Better compliance via secure digital records and automated capture, with no need to rely on manual logs 

In short, switching to such a system promises greater sample integrity and reduced risk, confidence without compromise, better compliance and record-keeping, and scalability across labs, assets and even multiple locations.

In conclusion

It may be a whole new way to think about how your facility works, but by simplifying management and workflow, with end-to-end visibility and reliable, security, controlled access and a single trusted system, this surely has to be the future for cryogenic storage.

It promotes good practice and brings confidence and scalability like never before. And crucially, an integrated ecosystem addresses that most important issue of all – offering real-time insights and automated alerts to maintain sample security and minimise risk.

To find out more about digital infrastructures for cryogenic freezing, and in particular MVE’s CryoVerse™ system, simply talk to any of the Air Products team.