Pro-Lab launches Microbank Marketplace for cryostorage tracking and strain exchange

Pro-Lab Diagnostics USA has launched Microbank Marketplace, a free app for managing Microbank® cryostorage and trading microbial strains between verified labs. The product aims to replace paper logs and disconnected freezer records with a mobile, web-based system that tracks every vial, bead and site in one workspace.

Why it matters: - Microbiology labs often lose time searching freezers, re-order strains at high cost, or rely on informal tracking. - Microbank Marketplace combines inventory management with peer-to-peer strain exchange, which could reduce duplicate purchases and make stored strains easier to use across sites. - The app is designed around the Microbank® porous-bead system, where each vial contains 25 beads and each sub-culture removes one bead.

What happened: - Pro-Lab Diagnostics USA launched Microbank Marketplace on July 1, 2026. - The product is a free mobile and web app for tracking cryostored strains and exchanging microbial vials with other labs. - The app is available on Apple App Store, Google Play, and the web app. - Pro-Lab also offered a 15-minute product walkthrough at book a call.

The details: - Microbank Marketplace automatically logs single-bead retrievals, updates remaining bead counts, and flags low-stock vials before they run out. - The app models the full storage hierarchy from company to lab to freezer to box to vial to bead. - A visual box-layout map and full-text search help users locate inventory. - Any iPhone or Android device can scan QR or GS1 Datamatrix labels on freezers, boxes, shelves, and vials. - Scanning a Microbank vial shows the strain, the person who froze it, the remaining beads, and the full sub-culture history. - Pro-Lab ships Microbank vials with GS1 Datamatrix barcodes already on the label. - One company workspace can span multiple labs and sites, including main campuses, satellite labs, contract facilities, and field stations. - Users can see live vial counts across distant sites, pull global strain inventories for audits, and add a vial from a partner lab to the home inventory on the spot. - Multi-user workspaces use Firebase Authentication and invite-by-link onboarding. - Every user action is recorded in a full audit log. - Verified labs can list a vial for exchange and message buyers directly. - Marketplace listings are organized by organism, preservation method, and donor lab. - The app runs on iOS, Android, and web from a single Flutter codebase. - The interface is available in English, German, and Spanish. - Free access covers individual users and small teams. - A Premium subscription unlocks marketplace listings, multi-user company workspaces, and advanced reporting. - Premium billing is handled monthly or annually through RevenueCat, with localized pricing shown in-app by region.

Between the lines: - The launch positions cryostored strains as an inventory asset, not just archived material. - The marketplace could create a secondary channel for labs that have surplus strains and for smaller labs that cannot easily buy from culture collections. - The strongest differentiator is the “Microbank-native” workflow, which ties bead-level tracking to barcode scanning and multi-site visibility in one system.

What's next: - Pro-Lab is positioning the app for adoption by individual labs, multi-site organizations, and verified exchange partners. - The company is also using the launch to drive walkthrough bookings and Premium subscriptions. - Broader use will depend on how many labs adopt the marketplace and standardize strain trading inside the platform.

The bottom line: - Microbank Marketplace tries to turn freezer management and strain sharing into one digital workflow, with bead-level tracking at the center.