For Principal Investigators

Which samples were used
in that paper, exactly?

When a reproducibility challenge arrives — or a collaborator needs to replicate your findings — the question is always the same: which passage, which batch, which date? Vial Tracker Free means you have a traceable answer.

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FullProvenance chain
"The editor asked us to confirm which passage of the cell line was used. The post-doc was three jobs later and couldn't remember."
— The situation Vial Tracker Free prevents
The problem

Reproducibility challenges expose labs with no sample traceability

The paper is published. Two years later, a letter arrives — a group tried to replicate your key figure and couldn't. The editor wants to know: which cell line passage was used? What was the freeze date of the stock? Who prepared the samples?

If the post-doc who ran those experiments has moved on, and if the only record was in their notebook — now on a hard drive somewhere in another country — you are in an extraordinarily difficult position.

This isn't a rare edge case. It is a routine feature of modern research. Vial Tracker Free makes your sample provenance traceable before you need to trace it.

What you can't answer at peer review
Reproducibility challenges require documented sample provenance
Post-doc departure means institutional knowledge is gone
Corrections and retractions damage lab reputation permanently
Collaborators cannot replicate findings without sample metadata
What you get

Built for the real-world lab

Complete experimental trail
Every sample entry links passage number, batch, freeze date, and the researcher who prepared it. The data is there years after they've moved on.
Reproducibility confidence
When collaborators ask what you used, you have a specific, documented answer — not a reconstruction from memory.
Shared experiment records
Multi-lab studies need agreed sample documentation. Vial Tracker Free gives both labs a shared, consistent record from the start.
No dependencies
It's Excel. It doesn't disappear when a subscription lapses or a service is discontinued. Your provenance records are yours permanently.
How it works

Up and running in an afternoon

1
Download the file
No installation, no account. Open it in Excel today.
2
Log samples at point of use
Researchers enter what they used for each experiment as they run it. The link between sample and experiment is built automatically.
3
Reference at publication time
When the paper is submitted, the sample provenance section writes itself from the existing record.
Also on this site

Other challenges Vial Tracker Free solves for PIs

Post-Doc Departure
Keep your lab's institutional memory intact when a researcher moves on.
Biosafety & Audit Compliance
Build an audit-ready sample inventory so the next inspection is never a scramble.
Freezer Failure & Recovery
Know exactly what was lost — and prove it to your institution — when a freezer fails.
Grant Resource Documentation
Answer reviewers' questions about your lab's biological resources with a single export.
Material Transfer Agreements
Track which samples are shared, with whom, and under which MTA — automatically.
PhD Student Handover
When your student submits, their sample knowledge shouldn't leave with them.

Every result deserves a traceable record

Download Vial Tracker Free today. When the reproducibility question arrives, have the answer ready.

Download Vial Tracker Free — it's free
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