Preserves stem cells and tissues without freezing the freezer

The creation of cold-water fish has inspired a scientist from the University of Ottawa to develop a method for freezing stem cells and fatigue without the risk of “freezer burn.”

Dr. Robert Ben, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at uOttawa, is one half of the opinion behind the development of ice re-emergence protectors, which are small organic molecules that stop the growth of ice to any substance. used in fields of conservative cell therapy and regenerative medicine.

The idea of ​​stopping this by-product of “crystalline” freezing in Dr. Ben after learning about the teleost fish, a species that can survive in sub-zero environments because their bodies use anti-freeze proteins to inhibit the growth of ice crystals.

Robert Ben, who specializes in organic chemistry and synthetic medicine at uOttawa, developed the technology with Dr. Jason Acker of the University of Alberta at PanTHERA CryoSolutions. This pair-owned private company will receive $ 4 million in private funding over the next two years to develop this technology and others like that, including one for COVID-19 test products and retention of RNA-based vaccines.

How did this come about?

“We have been freezing cells and tissues for some time now, to develop cell therapies to treat a wide range of diseases and we have been using cryoprotective agents, such as dimethyl sulfoxide or glycerol, from the 1950s to try to prevent cells from dying in the freezing and thawing process.

“The problem with the conventional cryoprotectants is that cell proliferation is a form of shock and loss. We may freeze 100,000 cells, but only 25,000 will survive and be viable for research or clinical applications. That has because up to 80 percent of cell damage that occurs during freezing is due to uncontrolled growth of ice.As the conventional cryoprotectant solutions do not address this problem, our results, measure in cell regeneration and function, very embarrassing. “

Shouldn’t frozen samples be more efficient?

“Ice growth, or the process of ice re-emergence, is an inevitable side effect of freezing something and over time, and with temperature changes, ice crystals become larger and larger and cause a lot of turbulence. in a cell membrane, which itself damages or kills the cells.

“Think of a freezer burn; if you’ve ever had a taste of ice cream after sitting in your freezer for a while – I’m sure we all have – the product has a different look and taste from when it was fresh. That’s because those ice crystals change the structure of that stuff, and with that goes taste and everything else. “

Why do large ice crystals damage cells?

Small ice crystals are indeterminate but large ice crystals easily damage cell organs. These tiny crystals are like grains of sand on a Caribbean beach that are so small that they shape your body and you can lie comfortably on the beach for a whole day. Now, let’s say these grains of sand were replaced by gravel or pebbles. That’s a lot more comfortable. Our cryopreservation technology prevents ice crystals from growing (and thus staying small) during freezing and thawing ensuring the survival of the cells.

What will be the impact of this?

“Cells, tissues, organs – and potentially vaccines and other biological products – can be kept at warmer temperatures, making it easier to store these products and send them to remote areas. the higher the re-emergence process, why some medicines such as vaccines need to be stored at very cold temperatures for longer preservation, for example, the Pfizer COVID vaccine is required. Maintaining -19 at -70 degrees Celsius to keep the ice crystals from becoming overgrown and destructive. The result. “

With today’s growing cell therapies and regenerative therapies, it must be important to preserve products that make such medical advances possible.

“Our molecules are unique because, unlike conventional cryoprotectants, they prevent that cellular damage caused by ice. Eventually, we get more cells back, they are healthier and more active. There is nothing like it. “

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The underlying technology was created out of an academic research collaboration between the University of Ottawa and the University of Alberta that received research funding from GlycoNet, one of the National Centers of Excellence (NCE) in Canada; Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) in Canada; Canadian Blood Services; National Research Council of Canada (IRAP) Business Research Support Program; and Mitacs.