SM

Sample Management

The $2.3 million freezer.

Chain of custody from collection to consumption. AI-configured aliquoting workflows. Unified with LIMS, ELN, and Inventory.

Sample Management

The $2.3 million freezer

Week 47 of a pivotal trial. The bioanalytical lab needs PK samples from Subject 2103. The only complete responder. Time points 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 hours. Samples that prove the mechanism works.

The spreadsheet says: Freezer 7, Rack C, Box 23, Positions B4-B9.

The technician walks to Freezer 7, finds Rack C, pulls Box 23. Positions B4-B9 are there. Labeled correctly. But when she scans them, the system shows they're from Subject 2301, not 2103.

Someone transposed the digits when logging them three months ago. The real 2103 samples? Nobody knows. Maybe Box 24. Maybe Freezer 8. Maybe consumed for a different assay and never documented.

Eight hours of searching. Seventeen freezers. Four hundred boxes. The samples from the only complete responder in a $47M trial were never found.

Chain of custody · scan to know
Collect
Scan tube
Scan patient
Linked
Store
Scan tube
Scan location
Positioned
Request
Protocol ID
Approval
Authorized
Retrieve
Scan tube
Verify match
Confirmed
Deliver
Recipient
acknowledges
Transferred
Complete audit trail
Who · When · Where · Why — for every movement, every sample, forever
Fig. 1 — Chain of Custody
§1

Spreadsheets drift. Systems don't.

Every lab starts with a spreadsheet. Row for each sample. Columns for location, date, volume, patient, study. Someone moves a sample and forgets to update the sheet. Someone updates the wrong row. Someone saves over yesterday's version.

The spreadsheet says the sample is there. The freezer says otherwise. The gap between tracking and reality grows until it matters.

In Seal, there is one truth:

  • Scan to store. Sample barcode + location barcode = definitive location
  • Scan to retrieve. The system confirms you have what you asked for
  • Automatic timestamps. No manual entry of when things happened
  • Enforced check-out. Can't take a sample without the system knowing

The spreadsheet can lie. The barcode scan can't.

§2

Model your storage exactly

Freezers aren't abstract. They're physical objects with racks that slide out, boxes that stack, and positions that hold tubes.

In Seal, storage matches reality:

  • Freezers. Name, temperature range, location, capacity
  • Racks. Position within freezer, number of shelves
  • Boxes. Type (9x9, 10x10, 81-position), color coding
  • Positions. Grid coordinates, occupancy status

Visual maps show what's where. Click Freezer 7 → Rack C → Box 23 → Position B4. See the sample ID, collection date, patient, volume remaining, complete history.

When you need a sample, you know exactly where to walk.

Storage Hierarchy
Fig. 2 — Storage Hierarchy
§3

One blood draw, seven derivatives

The phlebotomist draws 30mL from Subject 2103. From that single draw:

  • 3 plasma aliquots for PK analysis
  • 2 serum aliquots for biomarkers
  • 1 PBMC pellet for immunophenotyping
  • 1 whole blood backup

Seven samples, one source. Each needs its own identity. Each needs to trace back to the original draw.

In Seal, aliquoting creates linked records:

  • Parent sample: SUBJ2103-V4-BLOOD-001
  • Children: SUBJ2103-V4-PLASMA-001, -002, -003, SUBJ2103-V4-SERUM-001, -002, etc.

Search for Subject 2103 → See the original and all derivatives. Consume an aliquot → System updates remaining inventory. Trace any result → Back to the original collection.

Parent → aliquots · lineage, volume, destination · all linked
SMP-8412 · Donor DN-8412
3.5 mL whole blood · collected 2026-04-20 09:14
Fan-out from parent to child aliquots
AL-8412-01
0.5 mL
LIMS · potency
AL-8412-02
0.5 mL
LIMS · purity
AL-8412-03
1.0 mL
Biobank · F-02
AL-8412-04
0.2 mL
Retain · F-02
AL-8412-05
0.8 mL
External · shipping
Volumes balance · parent depleted, children tracked, consent travels
Fig. 3 — Aliquoting Flow
§4

Request, approve, pick, receive

Researchers shouldn't wander into the freezer room. Samples are too valuable for informal "I'll just grab it."

Seal formalizes sample access:

  1. Request. Researcher specifies samples, quantity needed, protocol justification
  2. Approve. Sample manager reviews, confirms availability, authorizes release
  3. Pick. Technician retrieves samples, scans each one, confirms match
  4. Deliver. Samples transferred with chain of custody documentation
  5. Receive. Researcher acknowledges receipt, samples now in their custody

If samples go missing, you know exactly where the chain broke.

§5

The freezer alarm at 3 AM

Saturday night. Freezer 7 compressor fails. Temperature rises from -80°C to -65°C over four hours. By the time someone notices Monday morning, 2,400 samples have been at risk for 48 hours.

Which samples are compromised? At what temperature and for how long? Can any be salvaged? Without environmental monitoring, you're guessing.

Seal integrates with temperature monitoring:

  • Continuous logging. Temperature recorded every minute
  • Alert thresholds. Excursion triggers immediate notification
  • Impact assessment. System identifies exactly which samples were affected
  • Stability calculation. Time-temperature integration determines viability

The 3 AM alarm wakes the on-call tech. They transfer critical samples to a backup freezer. The others are flagged for stability review. Evidence of the excursion and response is documented automatically.

§6

Never lose a sample again

Every sample in Seal has:

  • Unique ID. Barcode, RFID, or system-generated
  • Complete history. Collection, storage, movements, access, consumption
  • Current location. Exactly where it is right now
  • Chain of custody. Everyone who touched it and when

The spreadsheet days are over. The $2.3 million freezer search never happens again.

Capabilities

01Sample Registration
Register samples at collection with unique IDs. Barcode, RFID, or manual entry. Metadata captures source, type, collection date, and any study associations.
02Storage Mapping
Model your storage hierarchy exactly as it exists. Visual occupancy maps. Click any position to see contents, history, and availability.
03Chain of Custody
Every movement logged. Check-out, check-in, transfers between locations. Complete audit trail from collection to consumption.
04Aliquot Management
Split samples while maintaining relationships. Parent-child links are explicit. Search returns original and all derivatives.
05Request Workflow
Formal sample requests with approval routing. Pick lists for fulfillment. Delivery tracking. Receipt confirmation. No unauthorized freezer access.
06Environmental Integration
Connect to temperature monitoring systems. Continuous logging. Excursion alerts. Impact assessment for affected samples.
07Expiration Management
Track sample age and stability limits. Expiration alerts. Disposal workflows. Nothing forgotten in the back of a freezer.
08LIMS Integration
Seamless connection to testing workflows. Track samples here, test them in LIMS. Results link back. Complete sample-to-result traceability.
01 / 08
Sample Registration
Sample Registration

Entities

Entity
Description
Kind
Sample
Physical specimen with unique identity. Tracked from collection through consumption or disposal.
type
Blood Sample
Collected from Patient 047. Split into plasma, serum, PBMCs. Parent and all children tracked together.
instance
Storage Location
Where samples live. Hierarchical: Freezer → Rack → Box → Position. Matches physical reality.
type
Freezer
-80°C, -20°C, liquid nitrogen. Your cold storage infrastructure, modeled exactly as it exists.
instance
Storage Box
Grid of positions. 9x9, 10x10. Visual map shows occupancy. Click to see what's in each position.
instance
Chain of Custody
Complete history of who had the sample, when, and why. Never reconstruct from memory.
type
Aliquot
Derivative sample linked to parent. Plasma from blood, cutting from tissue. Relationships explicit.
type
Sample Request
Formal request for samples. Approval workflow, pick list, delivery confirmation, receipt acknowledgment.
type
Environmental Monitoring
Continuous temperature monitoring. Excursion alerts. Impact assessment for affected samples.
type

FAQ

Seal supports any barcode format—1D, 2D, QR codes. Print labels directly from the system with sample ID, patient info, and collection date. Scan to register, locate, check out, or check in. Handheld scanners and mobile devices supported.
Yes. Samples can be linked to studies, subjects, visits, and timepoints. Track samples through the trial lifecycle. Integrate with EDC for complete subject-sample-data traceability.
Shipping workflows track what was sent, when, to whom, and what condition. Integrate with couriers for tracking numbers. Receiving workflows confirm arrival. Chain of custody extends beyond your walls.
Disposal workflows document what was destroyed, when, why, and by whom. Regulatory holds can prevent destruction. Disposal certificates capture witness signatures. Destroyed samples remain in the system for historical reference.
Yes. Bulk import from spreadsheets, existing LIMS, or other sample management systems. Map your fields to Seal's data model. Validate before import. Maintain historical data while gaining modern tracking.
Sample Management tracks where samples are and who has them. LIMS adds testing workflows. Running assays, recording results, comparing to specifications. Start with Sample Management for tracking, add LIMS when you need testing.

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