A cryogenic dry shipper is used to transport biological samples – embryos, sperm, oocytes, biopsy material, or tissue – at cryogenic temperatures without the presence of free liquid nitrogen. It is the standard vessel for moving cryopreserved material between IVF clinics, fertility storage banks, genetics laboratories, and research institutions in the UK and internationally.
What makes a cryogenic dry shipper different from other cold chain solutions?
Dry ice achieves a maximum temperature of around -78 degrees C. Cryogenic dry shippers operate in the range of -150 to -190 degrees C, which is the only temperature range at which vitrified embryos and slow-frozen sperm samples remain fully stable. Dry ice is not an acceptable substitute for cryogenic transport of vitrified biological material.
How is a cryogenic dry shipper charged before use?
The vessel is filled with liquid nitrogen and left to stand for a minimum of two to four hours – sometimes longer for larger models – allowing the internal sorbent material to absorb the LN2 fully. Once absorption is complete, any remaining free liquid is drained from the vessel. The absence of free liquid is confirmed by inverting the shipper briefly – if no liquid pours out, the charge is complete. Samples are then loaded and the vessel sealed for dispatch.
What documentation is needed to ship a cryogenic dry shipper?
For air freight the shipper itself travels as not restricted under IATA Special Provision A152, and the air waybill must carry the words not restricted together with the special provision number A152, alongside appropriate outer packaging. Where the biological samples inside are classified as UN 3373 Category B, Packing Instruction 650 applies to those samples and sets the packaging, marking and documentation they require. Many couriers with cryogenic experience handle the documentation. For road transport within the UK, the requirements are less stringent but the vessel still requires appropriate labelling as a cryogenic article.
Cryogenic dry shippers make international embryo and sperm transfers possible in a way that was logistically impractical before they existed. A couple in the UK can now receive donor sperm from a licensed bank on another continent with full chain-of-custody documentation and sample integrity intact.
Cryolab’s CryoStork range includes dry shippers from 2 to 10 litres. Contact the team for advice on documentation and charging procedures.
