Do it yourself styrofoam microtube holder for better organization of microtubes on ice

Ice is commonly used in biology experiments to cool samples in between sample manipulations. But, biological samples are typically low volume and contained in microtubes with volumes of 2 mL or lower, with tubes for polymerase chain reaction measuring in the microliters range. Hence, these microtubes are usually stuck in ice, but with progressive melting of ice, the microtubes either lose contact with ice and starts to heat up (which may result in sample degradation and inconsistent measurements for the entire set) or they topple over and increase the chances of sample contamination. Instruments’ manufacturers do provide, as gifts, free perforated foam to researchers to help them organize microtubes in the water bath. However, these perforated foams could also be used as microtube holders for organizing microtubes on ice with several distinct advantages: (i) reusable and ease of use, (ii) allowing better organization of transparent microtubes in a box of transparent ice cubes, and (iii) enable better contact between ice cubes and microtubes over a long period of sample preparation because the foam rests on and moves downwards with the melting ice. Besides foam, similar microtube holders could also be made by researchers using a microtube of specific size as a mold to “squeeze” microtube holes in cheap and easily available styrofoam. In contrast to prefabricated perforated foam, these do it yourself microtube holders allow bespoke microtube arrangement pattern in sync with individual researchers’ preferences for sample organization and work efficiency. To further guard against misidentification of sample tubes, the styrofoam or perforated foam chosen should also be colored. In summary, microtube holders made from styrofoam offer important advantages over conventional ad hoc placement of individual microtubes in ice; chief amongst which are assurance of good sample organization and easy identifiability of specific microtube in an ice box, as well as good thermal contact between melting ice cubes and samples requiring cooling. Ease of identifying a specific microtube is critical as transparent microtubes could be easily misidentified in a box of ice, while good thermal contact ensures cooling and less sample degradation.