Aims
An optimal cooling rate is one of the critical factors influencing the survival of cells during cryopreservation. We describe a novel device, called the box-in-box, that has been developed for optimal cryopreservation of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC).
Conclusions
The box-in-box device can work as a cheap, durable, reliable and maintenance-free instrument for the cryopreservation of HSC. This concept of a box-in-box may also be adapted to other cooling rates to support cryopreservation of a wide variety of tissues and cells.
Methods
This work presents the design of the device, a mathematical formulation describing the expected temperature histories of samples during the freezing process, along with actual experimental
Results
The experimental data, including total cell population and CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cell recovery rates, viability and cell culture colony assays, showed that the box-in-box worked as well as the CryoMed instrument. There was no significant difference in either survival rate or the culture/colony outcome between the two devices. Conclusions: The box-in-box device can work as a cheap, durable, reliable and maintenance-free instrument for the cryopreservation of HSC. This concept of a box-in-box may also be adapted to other cooling rates to support cryopreservation of a wide variety of tissues and cells.