Cryopreservation is a breakthrough scientific technique that arrests biological activity by storing at ultra-low temperatures, thus maintaining the viability of cells, tissues, and organs for long periods of time. By exploiting cryogenic temperatures—normally below -150°C—the process plays an important part in medical, biotechnological, and biodiversity conservation developments.
In medicine, cryopreservation has become the cornerstone for fertility preservation. Sperm, eggs, and embryos can be frozen, and sometime later, used with ART to restore the hope of parenthood for people facing medical treatments that may destroy their fertility, for example, chemotherapy. Similarly, cryopreservation of stem cells, bone marrow, and blood has turned to cryopreservation to transplant medicine to make life-saving resources available for patients suffering from leukemia and other blood disorders.
Cryopreservation seeks to preserve the structures of biological forms without destroying their function. The main challenge is to avoid the formation of ice crystals, which can disrupt cellular integrity. For this purpose, cryoprotectants such as DMSO or glycerol are added in addition to pre-existing biological material–substances lower the freezing point of water and, when it is fast enough, can produce a kind of glass formation where liquids can be vitrified without the formation of damaging ice crystals. Although there are many positives, there are also some disadvantages of cryopreservation.
In conclusion, cryopreservation represents that phenomenal interdisciplinary of biology, chemistry, and engineering which allows us, in a way, to freeze life at will. While there are still some challenges, the contributions to medicine, science, and conservation are truly transformative. As research continues refining this technology, cryopreservation perhaps may unlock new possibilities for preserving life on Earth and beyond.
References
Jang, Tae Hoon et al. “Cryopreservation and its clinical applications.” Integrative medicine research vol. 6,1 (2017): 12-18. doi:10.1016/j.imr.2016.12.001
Jaiswal AN, Vagga A. Cryopreservation: A Review Article. Cureus. 2022 Nov 16;14(11):e31564. doi: 10.7759/cureus.31564. PMID: 36540535; PMCID: PMC9756256.
Tutrina A, Zhurilov P. Efficacy assessment of different cryoprotectants for preserving the viability of Enterobacterales strains at - 20 °C. Sci Rep. 2024 Sep 6;14(1):20843. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-71529-6. PMID: 39242800; PMCID: PMC11379685.
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