Application of IBP for cell preservation

When freezing and thawing cells, tissues or organs, many difficulties arise due to the delicate structures involved. This leads to high losses of surviving cells or the non-freezability of organs. Ice crystal growth plays an important role in maintaining cell viability. By using ice binding proteins (IBP), smaller crystals can be obtained and the coarsening of the ice crystal structure (recrystallization) can be avoided during storage and thawing. IBP can also be used to alter the shapes of ice crystals. By the addition of IBP the survival rate of cells during cold and cryopreservation can dramatically increase. Here, the ability of the proteins to interact with the cell surface and the ice crystals plays a major role. By use of IBP toxic substances like DMSO can be avoided. This opens a wide range of applications in cell therapy systems. Other research fields are freeze-drying and spray-drying.