Linde's cryobank

Your biological and biomedical materials are assured of reliable, safe and professional handling and storage at Linde Gas Cryoservices.

Storing materials such as DNA, stem cells, semen and blood products in-house puts a great strain on your organization. For example, you have high investment costs for safety facilities, hardware, storage capacity and maintenance. In addition, expert personnel are required to comply with the latest national and international regulations.

In Linde Gas' advanced cryobank, qualified personnel ensure the best care for your biological and biomedical materials. Combined with data logging and a 24-hour emergency service, you have the assurance that your precious materials are stored according to the correct protocols under all conditions.

External storage

Your blood products, genetic material, vaccines and cell lines safely stored in our cryobank.

In Linde Gas' own advanced cryobank, our staff ensures the best care for your fragile material. Whether human, animal, pharmaceutical or plant material we provide reliable and professional storage at cryogenic temperatures in storage vessels or mechanical Ultra Low freezers. The Linde Gas Cryobank holds an ISO9001 certificate for its quality management. Activities include receiving, storing, and issuing material. Material can also be moved or destroyed by arrangement.

We offer the following forms of external storage:

1. All-in storage:

Your material is stored in a cryogenic storage vessel or Ultra Low freezer provided by Linde Gas which is rented only to you. All storage systems are connected to the central measuring, control and monitoring system of our storage facility. We guarantee that no third-party material will be stored in the same storage vessel or Ultra Low freezer.

2. Multi-use storage:

Your material, along with material from other clients, will be stored in a cryogenic storage vessel or freezer provided by Linde. In this, you rent at least 1 tower in a storage vessel or 1 compartment of an Ultra Low freezer. All storage systems are connected to the central measuring, control, and monitoring system of our storage facility. To minimize the risk of cross-contamination, when stored in a cryogenic storage vessel, your material is stored in the gas phase only: in gas-tight frames with individual towers.

3. Hosting

Your material will be stored with us in your cryogenic storage vessel or Ultra Low freezer. Your storage system must be able to be connected to our cryobank's central measuring, control, and monitoring system. To provide the same service you can expect from a storage system from Linde. You can rest assured that no third-party material is stored in your storage system. We are happy to relieve you.

Cryogenic storage in storage vessels

• IC-Biomedical cryogenic storage vessels for both liquid and gas phase storage
• Operational temperature between -160°C and -196°C
• 24/7 Temperature, and nitrogen level, monitoring
• Second external temperature sensor for additional temperature monitoring 24/7
• 24/7 access control, both for the cryobank and the storage vessel
• 24/7 remote alarm and troubleshooting service
• Monthly reporting of the temperature logger
• Back-up cryogenic storage vessel of the largest type for gas phase storage available
• No-break 230V by means of an emergency power generator

Storage in Ultra Low Freezers

• Eppendorf Ultra Low Freezers
• Operating temperature -80°C
• 24/7 temperature monitoring
• 24/7 access control, both for the cryobank and the freezer
• 24/7 remote alarm and fault service
• Monthly temperature logger reporting
• Backup Ultra Low freezer of the largest type (capacity 725 liters) available
• Temperature assurance through liquid nitrogen backup
• Backup cooling, liquid nitrogen or coldpacts
• No-break 230V by means of emergency power generator

Quality assurance and permits

We continue to improve our performance thanks to a program of accurate quality control

The Cryobank is located at the Linde Healthcare Benelux site, where people are used to working according to strict healthcare laws and regulations. This environment fits well with the cryobank's policy. All these activities are carried out in accordance with procedures and work instructions, taking into account ISO 9001 requirements and relevant national and international standards. Linde Gas employs a Biological Safety Officer who oversees the safe handling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Linde's Cryobank also has the following permits/approvals:

• Approval for storage of biological agents, in case of harmful biological agents limited to no more than pathogenicity class 2
• Approval in accordance with the regulations "Genetically modified organisms" (GMO) issued by the Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM), the Netherlands. In the case of GMOs to be handled at maximum containment level II. The material you want to offer meets pathogenicity class 1 or 2 and/or GMO containment level I or II.

Freezing service

Leave the freezing of your animal semen to our professionals

Freezing animal semen requires skill and a lot of experience. Our laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, which can freeze this material according to the freezing protocol you provide.

If you do not have a protocol, we will gladly put our experience at your disposal. The operational management of the laboratory is in the hands of professionals: our staff has many years of laboratory experience in the field of cryogenic freezing techniques.

Cryozeker back-up service

Our 24/7 service for replacement of your defective cryogenic storage vessel

In case of acute problems with your cryogenic storage vessel at your location, Linde offers a solution with the Cryozeker service. If you use this service, you will have a cold cryogenic storage vessel available at your location within a few hours.

The Cryozeker service allows you to request a replacement storage container 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our staff will ensure that the replacement vessel is placed at your location within eight hours. This allows you to minimize the risk of quality loss of your materials. You can keep the borrowed barrel for up to five weeks.