Cryo Inventory
Monitor cryogenically preserved cultures, tube barcodes, positions, and viability status.
Cryo Inventory
The Cryo Inventory page is a focused view of every culture in your library that uses cryogenic preservation (storage method: Cryo). It is not a separate record type — it is a filtered view of your Cultures list, surfacing the cryo-specific fields that matter for long-term storage management.
Accessing cryo inventory
Navigate to Lab > Cryo to see all cultures stored via cryogenic preservation. Only cultures with Storage Method = Cryo appear here. If you do not see a culture you expect, verify that its storage method is set to Cryo on the culture record.
The cryo inventory table
Each row shows:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Culture name |
| Species | Scientific name |
| Strain | Cultivar name |
| Tube Barcode | Barcode printed on the cryogenic tube, if recorded |
| Position | Physical location in your cryo box or rack (e.g. “Box 1, A3”) |
| Passage | Passage number, displayed as P0, P1, P2, etc. |
| Viability | Current viability assessment |
| Storage Location | Freezer or storage unit identifier |
| Last Checked | Date of the most recent viability check |
Filtering the inventory
Use the two dropdown filters at the top of the table to narrow down records:
- Species — filter to a single species; the dropdown is populated from your current inventory
- Viability — filter by viability status (Viable, Suspect, Non-Viable)
Filters combine: you can show only Viable Pleurotus ostreatus cultures, for example.
Logging a viability check
Viability should be checked on a regular schedule — typically when cultures are first frozen, and again before you pull a tube for transfer. To record a check:
- Click Log Viability Check in the row for the culture you tested.
- Select the viability status from the modal.
- Click Save.
The system records the new status and sets the Last Checked date to the current time.
Viability status values
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Viable | Culture is healthy and suitable for revival or transfer |
| Suspect | Uncertain — may be degraded; test before relying on this tube |
| Non-Viable | Culture has failed viability testing; do not use |
Setting up a culture for cryo tracking
Cryo inventory is driven by fields on the culture record. To have a culture appear here with full detail, set these fields when creating or updating the culture at Lab > Cultures:
| Field | Where to set it |
|---|---|
| Storage Method | Set to “Cryo” on the culture record |
| Storage Location | Freezer/unit identifier |
| Tube Barcode | Barcode on the physical tube (via API or culture edit) |
| Tube Position | Position in your cryo box or rack (via API or culture edit) |
| Passage Number | How many freeze-thaw passages this tube has undergone |
The Tube Barcode, Tube Position, and Passage Number fields are set via PUT /cultures/{id} in the API. Future UI updates will expose these fields directly in the culture edit form.
Best practices
- Log a viability check immediately after freezing a new tube so you have a baseline record.
- If a tube shows as Suspect, do not discard it — set the status and schedule a revival test.
- Use Tube Position with a consistent notation system (e.g. Box-Row-Column: “B2-A3”) so physical retrieval is unambiguous.
- Record the passage number accurately. High passage numbers (P3+) correlate with genetic drift risk in some species.
Role requirements
| Action | Minimum role |
|---|---|
| View cryo inventory | Worker |
| Log viability checks | Manager |