Editorial Article: The Perfect Tissue Storage Solution: Customer Review

Diane McGarvey is the Director for the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) Eastern Division at the University of Pennsylvania. The CHTN was initiated by the Cancer Diagnosis Program of the National Cancer Institute in 1987. Its objective was to provide researchers with increased access to human cancer tissue, helping to accelerate the advancement of cancer research.
 
The CHTN Eastern Division is part of the Pathology Department at the University of Pennsylvania and provides biospecimens to investigators working in the fields of cancer, neoplasia, autoimmune disease, aging and degenerative diseases. In some cases, a portion of a patient specimen that is no longer required for patient diagnosis, or further ongoing tests, can be made available for distribution and use in research projects. Effective sample freezing and storage at CHTN is essential to ensure the well-characterized and high quality specimens necessary for these research projects.

The Problem

Diane McGarvey had long identified a storage problem in her laboratory - the use of multiple vial sizes made storage in freezers difficult. The department was using five different container sizes, depending on the size and type of tissue that was to be stored. This made it impossible for the lab to use traditional storage racks. Diane had informed her current container supplier, WHEATON Industries, of the problem that she was having.

The Solution

WHEATON listened to the concerns of Diane and other customers in a similar position, and designed the new WHEATON CryoELITE® Tissue Vial. This vial has been specifically designed for the effective cryopreservation of biological tissue specimens, taking into account the fact that tissue destined for cryoypreservation has different requirements compared to cells and other biofluids. The vial is designed to provide a secure, reliable, cryogenically approved method of both storing and transporting cryogenic tissues.
 
What customers like Diane needed was a vial with a wide-mouth for larger tissue samples. The sturdy wide-mouth CryoELITE Tissue Vial is ideal for these larger tissue samples. The tissue can be manipulated in and out of the vial without damage to the tissue itself. In addition, customers with transportation needs will approve of the fact that the cap seal exceeds DOT and IATA regulations, ensuring ultimate protection of samples during transportation and demanding freeze-thaw handling. The WHEATON tissue vial meets USP Class VI classification and is manufactured from low binding, cryogenic-grade virgin polypropylene. The vials are lot tested and certified to be free of pyrogens, RNase / DNase and endotoxins, and are tested for viable storage from -196⁰C to 121⁰C.

Diane McGarvey told SelectScience: “Sometimes it is the relatively small problems that cause the biggest daily headaches in the laboratory. WHEATON listened to my needs, and even involved me by allowing me to provide feedback during the design of the new tissue vial. The new CryoELITE Tissue Vial is the perfect solution to our storage problems. It immediately enabled us to use traditional storage rack solutions, solving a genuine problem that we were experiencing.”

When companies are willing to listen to their customers, act on feedback and solve an existing problem, they inspire long-term customer satisfaction and tremendous brand loyalty. This has certainly been the case with Diane McGarvey and WHEATON Industries.

Learn more about the CryoELITE Tissue Vial.

Read an exclusive interview with WHEATON CEO Wayne Brinster: Unique Vial Solutions that Address the Needs of the Clinical Customer