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skos:definition |
UMD: Containers designed to store cells, tissue, organs, and/or biological samples (e.g., red blood cells, bones, embryos) at very low temperatures, usually -180 degrees Celsius (-292 degrees Fahrenheit) or lower. These devices typically consist of an inner vessel for containing a cryogenic fluid, and an outer vessel for insulating the cryogenic liquid from the environment that keeps the cryogenic liquid at low temperatures. The containers are equipped with a pressure-relief device and a pressure-controlling valve. Cryobiological storage containers are partially filled with liquid nitrogen or, less frequently, with another appropriate liquefied gas (e.g., helium, argon); the biological products are usually immersed into the liquid cryogen. Some devices keep the products above the liquid nitrogen (i.e., in cold nitrogen vapor), avoiding cross-contamination but providing a higher and less stable temperature (about -140 degrees Celsius [-220 degrees Fahrenheit]) than liquid nitrogen immersion.
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