Inventory management is not fun, but it is necessary. It is easy to underscore the importance of putting in the time and resources to label and track what is in your laboratory properly. Proper labeling and inventory management are not merely administrative chores but essential safeguards that support your research’s scientific integrity.
Take Emily’s story, for instance. It was a routine experiment concerning cancer cell metabolism. She retrieved the relevant samples from her lab’s freezer. The labels were faded, obscured by frost, but Emily was confident that she had the right materials and proceeded with the experiment anyway. Days later, things took an unexpected turn. The expected cell growth patterns were nowhere to be found. Instead, her assays showed anomalies that contradicted the original hypotheses. A simple inventory audit later revealed that the samples used were incorrect, with the originals misplaced due to inadequate labeling. Even worse, the original samples had been thawed and refrozen multiple times during the subsequent search. Consequently, months of planning and experimentation were wasted, and the resulting data was rendered unreliable.
Emily’s story is a sobering lesson in the critical need for and clear labeling systems in scientific research. An effective labeling system instills a great sense of certainty in research and promotes laboratory efficiency. While labs may vary in their goals, all of them require labels to organize and accelerate operations, and when it concerns cryogenic labeling, researchers often need to dial it down to the next degree.
Freezing my labels off
Reliable cold storage is crucial for a wide variety of materials in life science and pharmaceutical research, including cell cultures, patient samples, and biologics, to name a few. At the ultra-low temperature (ULT) conditions used to store these samples, common can easily detach, with the high humidity causing facestock to smudge, smear, and eventually fade. This poses an immediate risk of inaccurate sample identification, often leading to similar circumstances as Emily had to endure.
This is where high-quality make all the difference. Unlike ordinary labels that lack the specific adhesive designed for ULT environments, cryogenic labels are designed to withstand extended exposure and storage in liquid or vapor phase liquid nitrogen and ULT freezers. This makes them a familiar sight in medical and clinical labs, fertility clinics, biobanks, research labs, and biorepositories. With the right type of labels at hand, you can take the next step towards carefully considering the you wish to identify and store. This is not as easy as it may sound. Labs have an assortment of containers, including , storage boxes, , vitrification devices, and many more, with each having its share of specific requirements when it comes to the labels being used.
For cryogenic tubes and vials, often stored in liquid nitrogen and of varying size, labels must adhere to curved surfaces and withstand ULTs. Similarly, storage boxes and plates, either cardboard or plastic, require labels to adhere to flat surfaces. The same applies to racks used in freezers and liquid nitrogen tanks, except the surface in consideration here is metal. Vitrification devices like cryo straws require labels that can be wrapped effectively around small diameters while withstanding vitrification processes involving ultra-rapid freezing and long-term cold storage.
Choosing the right cryogenic label thus involves careful consideration of the container material, curvature, and size. Furthermore, environmental conditions also dictate the specific features labels must have when being utilized for cryogenic storage, such as the ability to withstand ULTs, to wet or frozen surfaces, . These characteristics and properties guarantee that labels will remain firmly affixed and legible in the most demanding laboratory environments. It is a lot to consider, so where does one begin?
Labeling your way to efficiency
Relabeling or improving labeling in your lab can be a big undertaking. It is a two-fold initiative. On one hand, labels must be made for the conditions they need to endure, and on the other, reliable hardware and software must be designed to help make that transition easier.
Brady’s solutions revolve around five critical purposes that highlight the importance of an effective labeling system. Labeling fosters organization by providing a systematic means to identify and track laboratory items using customizable labels, including text, graphics, barcodes, or QR codes. This supports efficient workflows by helping indicate the status of processes and assisting in inventory management with scannable labels. Safety is another central factor for proper labeling, ensuring that hazardous substances are correctly identified and handled, minimizing risks to lab personnel, and facilitating correct disposal procedures. The use of software to reinforces the efficiency of laboratory workflows, helping streamline label creation from spreadsheets and databases while eliminating human error and allowing researchers to focus more on important tasks. Lastly, labeling guarantees labs adhere to and waste management as well as
Why should you label in your lab?
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When it comes to cold storage, selecting the right cryogenic labels for your lab ensures precise and reliable sample identification without errors while optimizing efficiency and accuracy. Matching the label’s properties to the storage variables your samples must contend with helps maintain their integrity and that of your experimental results.
Sticking the landing
Representative of these traits are Brady’s B-490 and B-492 FreezerBondz™ labels that offer a robust solution for labeling in ULT settings like liquid nitrogen and freezers. Specifically designed to adhere securely to frosted or frozen surfaces, the B-490 and B-492 labels have been rigorously tested to withstand extreme fluctuations in temperature without compromising the printed image or adhesive integrity. Their exceptional performance is backed by their versatility. B-492 labels are recommended for curved surfaces such as glass test tubes, polypropylene vials, microscope , and straws, while the B-490 labels are recommended for flat surfaces including various types of storage boxes made of stainless steel, aluminum, or cardboard. Paired with the BradyPrinter i5300, users have all the tools required to get fast and efficient precision printing for high-mix/high-volume labeling, enabling them to quickly set up their labels with no-waste material changeovers.
The are just the tip of the mountain of what Brady has to offer in a comprehensive platform that caters to the diverse labeling needs of laboratories. This includes a wide variety of cryogenic labels and for multiple surfaces, containers,
and environmental conditions as well as microscope slide labels that can withstand harsh H&E staining processes. These solutions are supported by supplementary software and hardware, including , barcode scanners for easy sample tracking, and intuitive label creation software. These tools help researchers get their valuable time back with smoother workflows, less rework, and more automated processes. With advanced design features to allow the creation of custom labels and a comprehensive platform of on-demand solutions, Brady empowers researchers with all the tools required to mitigate their concerns surrounding while reducing costs and errors and allowing laboratory operations to continue smoothly.
Battling the freeze
Thorough inventory management and proper labeling systems prevent costly errors and unreliable data. Concerning cold storage, choosing the right cryogenic labels tailored to specific container types and environmental conditions ensures accurate sample identification and preserves the integrity of experimental results. Brady’s comprehensive platform of solutions, encompassing durable cryogenic labels and supplementary labeling hardware and software, enables researchers and labs with the resources to streamline their workflows, enhance safety, and meet regulatory compliance and standards. From liquid nitrogen to autoclaves and harsh chemicals to hot water baths, Brady offers labels that won’t smear, can withstand the cold, and won’t fade or fall off. By adopting robust labeling solutions, laboratories can enhance efficiency, reduce errors, and maintain a high standard of precision that is vital for credible scientific research.
Credit: Brady
