超瞬間細胞凍結法のための自動解凍装置開発と伝熱解析による評価

抄録

Cell cryopreservation stops the biological activities in the freezing state and can maintain cells without subculture which sometimes causes contamination and genetic drift. However, the freezing process for cryopreservation injures or damages the cells due to cytotoxicity of cryoprotectant agents or dehydration by osmotic pressure difference. We previously reported a cryoprotectant agent-free cryopreservation method based on inkjet technology. In the study, the vitrified cells in droplets were thawed by soaking manually into prewarmed medium by tweezers. During the process, the cells had to pass through the atmosphere at room temperature, which caused devitrification by temperature rise and often lowered the cell viability. In this study, we developed an automatic thawing apparatus to carry the vitrified cells rapidly into prewarmed medium. Furthermore, the apparatus was evaluated by high-speed camera and thermal flow simulation.