Synthetic polymers enable non-vitreous cellular cryopreservation by reducing ice crystal growth during thawing

Robert C. Deller, Manu Vatish, Daniel A. Mitchell and Matthew I. Gibson ()
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Robert C. Deller: University of Warwick
Manu Vatish: Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, University of Warwick
Daniel A. Mitchell: Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, University of Warwick
Matthew I. Gibson: University of Warwick

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The cryopreservation of cells, tissue and organs is fundamental to modern biotechnology, transplantation medicine and chemical biology. The current state-of-the-art method of cryopreservation is the addition of large amounts of organic solvents such as glycerol or dimethyl sulfoxide, to promote vitrification and prevent ice formation. Here we employ a synthetic, biomimetic, polymer, which is capable of slowing the growth of ice crystals in a manner similar to antifreeze (glyco)proteins to enhance the cryopreservation of sheep and human red blood cells. We find that only 0.1 wt% of the polymer is required to attain significant cell recovery post freezing, compared with over 20 wt% required for solvent-based strategies. These results demonstrate that synthetic antifreeze (glyco)protein mimics could have a crucial role in modern regenerative medicine to improve the storage and distribution of biological material for transplantation.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4244

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