Tissue samples that are taken during a biopsy need to be snap-frozen in order to preserve their properties and use the tissue for contemporary molecular biology technologies that may improve the treatment of the patient. There is currently a lack of (safe) methodologies or devices for snap- freezing tissue. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge on the optimal cooling rate, which depends on the type of tissue and is important to know in order to avoid damage to the cells. This report comments on the biological background of the acceptable cooling rates and also describes a design for a new biopsy snap-freezing device. The suggested device fulfills the requirements for use inside a hospital environment. The device consists of a cooling unit and a base station. The copper cooling unit can be pre-cooled on the base station until used. After biopsy, the tissue sample inside a cryovial can be deposited into the cooling unit and is then cooled down at rates between 1-10 K/sec, which is within the biologically safe range for several tissue types. The cooling unit may then be transported for several hours while keeping the tissue sample below 193 K.