A cryopreservation straw is a small storage device used for the cryogenic storage of liquid samples, often in a biobank or collection of sample. Their most common application is for storage of sperm for in-vitro fertilization.
Ideally they should be made of a material that is chemically inert, biocompatible and have physical characteristics that make them resistant to ultra-low temperatures and pressures created by their storage conditions, resulting in the expansion of liquids and liquid nitrogen.[1]
Once the sample has been introduced into the straw, both extremities are thermally sealed using a specific device, usually supplied by the manufacturer of the consumable.[2]
The straws are then stored within triangular or square visotubes, which in turn fit into cylindrical or square containers known as goblets. These are then organized into a matrix of the same within an ultra-low temperature freezer or nitrogen tank.