The fully-automated Biophile Individual Vial Retrieval (IVR) system provides automated access to individual vials stored at temperatures down to 㫨 C. It is engineered to allow researchers and lab technicians to store, retrieve and process individual vials. The system offers a high-speed conveyer system that shuttles samples to one or more Vial Handlers that re-rack, scan, weigh, and sort vials. The vials are kept frozen as they are sorted. The system allows a stacking capability of up to 500 vials to be loaded or unloaded at one time. Using the LIMS interface, the IVR is able to fulfill a sendout worklist overnight, or reorganize stored samples to improve future retrieval efficiency.