The CBS High Security Straw system has become the dominant straw platform in UK IVF and andrology laboratories. Understanding why helps explain what distinguishes it from conventional straw formats and why UK labs have adopted it so widely.
The Security Element
The defining characteristic of the CBS high security straw is its sealed design. Rather than relying solely on a cotton plug and heat seal to contain the sample, the CBS system uses a hermetically sealed structure that prevents any exchange between the straw interior and the surrounding liquid nitrogen. In liquid phase storage, this eliminates the cross-contamination pathway that standard open straws theoretically present – a consideration that HFEA guidance acknowledges in the context of patients with transmissible infections.
The Identification Element
CBS high security straws are available in a range of colours, with coloured ID jackets and weighted ID rods providing additional visual identification capacity. This allows labs to build colour-coded identification systems at the individual straw level, not just at the visotube or goblet level.
Compatibility With Vitrification
The CBS system includes high security vitrification kits designed for use with the same straw format, giving labs that standardise on CBS a consistent carrier system across both sperm cryopreservation and embryo or oocyte vitrification. This consistency reduces training complexity and consumable management burden significantly.
Why UK Labs Adopted It
The CBS system’s uptake in the UK has been driven by the security features, the strong evidence base from European IVF centres, and the practical advantage of a system that serves multiple applications within a single laboratory. Cryolab has supplied CBS straws and vitrification kits to UK fertility clinics for many years. Contact us or use CryoGPT for immediate guidance on protocol compatibility.
