Sample Management
Know where every sample is.
Track samples from collection to consumption. Chain of custody, storage locations, aliquoting, and requests—all with complete traceability. Never lose a sample again.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
- Request — Researcher specifies samples, quantity needed, protocol justification
- Approve — Sample manager reviews, confirms availability, authorizes release
- Pick — Technician retrieves samples, scans each one, confirms match
- Deliver — Samples transferred with chain of custody documentation
- Receive — Researcher acknowledges receipt, samples now in their custody
If samples go missing, you know exactly where the chain broke.
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.
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
