BioLife Solutions Inc announced that data from a new study demonstrates that the Company's Hypothermosol family of preservation solutions significantly extends the life and quality of human cells in comparison with conventional preservation technologies and reduces, or in some cases eliminates, the need for toxic compounds in the cell preservation process.The ability to preserve cells using reduced or no toxic compounds promises to speed the development and application of pioneering cell and tissue engineering therapies, said the study authors.
The study data, published in the most recent issue of the journal Cryobiology, showed that BioLife's preservation solutions were able to maintain elevated levels of cell survival throughout the processes used to prepare them for transplantation or cell and tissue engineering, which include freezing, transportation and storage.BioLife's platform technology is based on the Company's unique understanding of the molecular biological and biochemical responses of cells to low temperature exposure, or cryopreservation, which is necessary for preserving cell life.
"Our findings represent a significant breakthrough for the preservation sciences," said BioLife President and CEO John G. Baust, one of the study's authors."Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering are faced with many hurdles related to product storage and stability, but our new preservation technology gives physicians and scientific researchers solutions for these issues.Additionally, we expect this data will be useful in attracting new customers and development partners and expanding existing relationships."
The data showed that BioLife's CryoStor platform, one of the Company's Hypothermosol solutions, extended cell life by 50-100 percent compared to conventional preservation technologies.
A key finding of the study is the ability of the Hypothermosol solutions to reduce by 50-75 percent or eliminate the need for toxic compounds such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the process, which could be dangerous to patients, said BioLife Vice President of Business Development Robert G. VanBuskirk, another of the study's authors.
"The ability to cryopreserve cells without DMSO could prove to be paramount importance in applications such as bone marrow replacement where the injection into a patient of preserved cellular-based technologies is common," VanBuskirk said.