Conduction‐Dominated Cryomesh for Organism Vitrification

• Published in: Advanced science Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. e2303317 - n/a
• Main Authors: Guo, Zongqi, Zuchowicz, Nikolas, Bouwmeester, Jessica, Joshi, Amey S., Neisch, Amanda L., Smith, Kieran, Daly, Jonathan, Etheridge, Michael L., Finger, Erik B., Kodandaramaiah, Suhasa B., Hays, Thomas S., Hagedorn, Mary, Bischof, John C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2024; Wiley
• Subjects: Animals; Cold Temperature; Cooling; coral larvae; cryomesh vitrification; Cryopreservation; Drosophila embryo; Embryos; Glycerol; Heat conductivity; Heat transfer; Insects; Nitrogen; Pore size; Stainless steel; Sucrose; Temperature; Vitrification; Zebrafish; zebrafish embryo; coral larvae; zebrafish embryo; cryomesh vitrification; Drosophila embryo; heat transfer; cryopreservation
• ISSN: 2198-3844; 2198-3844
• DOI: 10.1002/advs.202303317

Vitrification‐based cryopreservation is a promising approach to achieving long‐term storage of biological systems for maintaining biodiversity, healthcare, and sustainable food production. Using the “cryomesh” system achieves rapid cooling and rewarming of biomaterials, but further improvement in cooling rates is needed to increase biosystem viability and the ability to cryopreserve new biosystems. Improved cooling rates and viability are possible by enabling conductive cooling through cryomesh. Conduction‐dominated cryomesh improves cooling rates from twofold to tenfold (i.e., 0.24 to 1.2 × 105 °C min−1) in a variety of biosystems. Higher thermal conductivity, smaller mesh wire diameter and pore size, and minimizing the nitrogen vapor barrier (e.g., vertical plunging in liquid nitrogen) are key parameters to achieving improved vitrification. Conduction‐dominated cryomesh successfully vitrifies coral larvae, Drosophila embryos, and zebrafish embryos with improved outcomes. Not only a theoretical foundation for improved vitrification in µm to mm biosystems but also the capability to scale up for biorepositories and/or agricultural, aquaculture, or scientific use are demonstrated. Vitrification‐based cryopreservation needs further improvement in cooling rates to increase biosystem viability and the ability to cryopreserve new biosystems. Higher thermal conductivity, smaller mesh wire diameter, and minimization of the nitrogen vapor barrier improve cooling rates up to 1.2 × 105 °C min−1. Conduction‐dominated cryomesh successfully vitrifies coral larvae, Drosophila embryos, and zebrafish embryos with improved outcomes in a scalable way.