Development of High Temperature Cryopreservation Medium for Storage and Shipping

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): One of the most expensive aspects of a cryopreservation program is related to ongoing, long-term storage and shipping of samples at very low temperatures (typically between - 196oC, the temperature of liquid nitrogen (L N2), and approximately -120oC, in the high- end temperature range of LN2 vapor). Current approaches to cryopreserving most cells and tissues, including animal germplasm, utilize methods and materials that require storage and shipping of samples at these ve ry low temperatures. To accomplish this, storage and shipping of cryopreserved germplasm is usually in LN2 dewars at relatively high cost. For example, shipping samples in LN2 dewars typically costs hundreds to thousands of dollars per shipment. If new med ia and easy-to-use devices could be developed to provide effective and efficacious cryopreservation methods that allowed samples to be stored and shipped at higher temperatures, such as -80oC, the sublimation temperature of solid CO2 (dry ice), this would significantly reduce associated costs. The overall goal of this proposal is to establish media and produce an easy- to-use device that enables cryopreserved samples to be stored and shipped more cost-effectively. We will develop two commercializable produc ts: (1) new media for cryopreservation and (2) a counterpart device which will allow samples to be cryopreserved in such a way that they are stable at -80oC. This will enable storage in - 80oC ultracold freezers and shipping of samples on dry ice rather th an liquid nitrogen. Currently, there are hundreds of thousands of human and animal cell and tissue samples cryopreserved each year. Using standard cryopreservation approaches these samples are stored and shipped at low temperatures (typically below -120oC) , which is extremely expensive. Our new products will significantly reduce the costs of storage and shipping of these samples. The overall market is estimate to be in excess of 50 million per year in the US alone and as much as 100 million per year world wide. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The overall goal of this proposal is to establish media and produce an easy-to-use device that enables cryopreserved cells and tissues to be stored and shipped more cost- effectively.