Cool collaboration

, a specialist in controlled solidification research and product development, has partnered with

, to launch the world’s first liquid nitrogen and refrigerant free controlled rate freezer.

Asymptote and Grant Instruments have signed a worldwide agreement for Grant to manufacture and market Asymptote’s family of controlled rate freezers, the first of which is the EF600 unit that was unveiled earlier this month at Pittcon 2007, Chicago, USA.

The EF600 freezer is specifically designed for use in human and animal in vitro fertilisation (IVF) applications for the cryopreservation of embryos, stem cells and spermatozoa but can also be used for general freezing applications.

The unit uses an electrically powered Stirling Cycle Cryocooler to freeze cells rather than using liquid nitrogen. This removes the risk of samples being contaminated during freezing and means that the product can be used in sterile environments such as cleanrooms.

‘Asymptote’s new controlled rate freezer is an innovative and highly marketable product,’ said Paul Pergande, head of Grant Technologies, the custom design/manufacturing division of Grant Instruments. ‘It is small and easy to operate and has none of the problems associated with handling and storing liquid nitrogen, which makes it suitable for use in a wide range of medical applications whether in the laboratory, in cleanrooms or out in the field.’