Snapfreezing of pathology samples

IWith the help of the newly developed snap-freezing device, freshly removed tissue, e.g. tumor tissue is shock frozen immediately after removal from the body. Important parameters such as mRNA or phosphoproteins can no longer degrade. This method will gain in importance in the context of personalized therapy decision.

The tissue to be frozen is passed very quickly over a drop rail between two pre-cooled, deep cold plates and flash-frozen by a stacking of these plates. This process was able to stand up to standard shock freezing methods, e.g. submerging the tissue sample in liquid nitrogen or isopentane. A validation on DNA, RNA and protein level was carried out on lung tissue of humans as well as intestinal tissue of mice. Although a slight bruising of the tissue was recorded histologically, this did not lead to changes in the tissue morphology or to any impairment of the histological evaluation.Molecular diagnostic evaluations had no significant effect on the quality and concentration of DNA, RNA, proteins or their phosphorylation status. Contrary, the rapid, standardized freezing process made it possible to clarify the results. 

After shock freezing, the container can be used as a transport vessel so that frozen samples will not experience any interruption of the cold chain. The transport container complies with the IATA standard for the transport of dangerous goods. The device does not use isopentane or unbound liquid nitrogen. This circumstance is an essential element of occupational safety in the context of snap-freezing.