Oy AGA Ab has delivered Finland’s first cold storage based on cryogenic vapour freezing to the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM). A part of Finland’s most important national collections of biological samples will be stored in this biobank.
The creation of FIMM’s centralised biobank began on the Meilahti campus in 2009. The biobank’s cold storage system is located in the Biomedicum 2U building, where an expandable storage system for 335,000 samples based on liquid nitrogen was installed. The 6 m3 liquid nitrogen tank located outside and the vacuum-insulated lines connected to it guarantee continuous and automatic liquid nitrogen feed to the cryogenic equipment. AGA’s automatic gas ordering service SECCURA ensures that there will always be sufficient nitrogen available.
Human samples (e.g. tissue, blood or DNA) are stored in biobanks, and they are the definitive trump card of modern biomedical research. Valuable samples requiring long-term storage must be stored at a suitably inert and optimal temperature. In order to retain the viability of the samples throughout the entire storage period, the temperature must not rise above -130 degrees.
Cryogenic technology was chosen as the storage system of FIMM’s biological samples instead of the traditional electronic deep freezers, which maintain a temperature of -130 degrees, but warm up quickly in the event of a power outage. Electronic deep freezers also consume a lot of electricity and give out heat to the storage space. The benefits of cryogenic vapour freezing include an even temperature, as opening the freezer cover does not cause temperature spikes, and good survivability of the samples: the temperature stays at -150 degrees for two weeks after the latest nitrogen filling.
“Modern biobank operations require high quality and safety of all the segments of operations. By centralising the operations, using modern equipment and professional staff, FIMM aims to build a nationally significant biobank system on the campus”, says Kimmo Pitkänen, who is responsible for the development of the biobank operations on the Meilahti campus.
Oy AGA Ab and Its Cryogenic Solutions
AGA has represented Chart Biomedical’s cryogenic equipment based on liquid nitrogen and vapour freezing in Finland from the year 2000. AGA is one of the largest suppliers of comprehensive cryogenic solutions on the market; its selection includes, for example, storage tanks and cylinders for liquid nitrogen and vacuum-insulated lines. AGA’s solutions facilitate the utilisation of cryogenics and guarantee optimal conditions for the cryogenic freezing of biological samples at -150 and -190 degrees in vapour or at -196 degrees in liquid.
Oy AGA Ab is part of the Linde Group, one of world’s leading industrial gas and technology companies. Linde Group has nearly 48,000 employees in 100 countries. AGA Finland is part of the Linde Group’s Northern European unit, which includes all Nordic and Baltic countries. AGA is the leading supplier of industrial gases in its region. Its comprehensive solutions include gases, gas equipment, process know-how and training and maintenance services. AGA’s advanced gas technology helps its customers improve profitability, safety and quality while also protecting the environment.
The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM)
The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) is an international research institute focusing on the utilisation of research findings in medical applications. FIMM is part of the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine cooperation network, which also includes the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway of the University of Oslo (NCMM) and the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS) of the University of Umeå. On a national level, FIMM is a joint research institute of the University of Helsinki, the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
Further information:
Oy AGA Ab
Minna Matrone
Tel. +358 10 242 0252
E-mail
The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM
Kimmo Pitkänen
Tel. +358 9 191 25734
E-mail