Engineering Aspects of Cryobiology

Cryobiology deals primarily with the art of freezing aqueous solutions. These solutions may reside inside or outside of living cells and the transition of this solution from the liquid phase into the solid phase constitutes freezing For purposes of this presentation, the cryobiology of aqueous solutions has been divided into sections with the understanding that they are not distinct from each other In addition, emphasis is placed on selected cells/tissues and on solution of problems encountered in freezing, storage, and thawing of these selected cells/tissues, rather than attempt to provide an all inclusive review of the subject of cryobiology. Hence, the title “Engineering Aspects of Cryobiology” is intended to illustrate how problems encountered in the freezing (cryopreservation) of cells and tissues have been resolved through the engineering of devices used in the various steps of their cryopreservation. This presentation will deal with freezing (with focus on containers, controlled-rate freezers, and temperature monitoring), storage (with focus on mechanical versus liquid nitrogen, thermal/mechanical perturbations, and shipping), and thawing (with focus on rates of thawing, maintenance of sterility, and dilutional removal of cryoprotectants).