March 28, 2024

“Cryogenically Suspending and Rewarming Living Biological Systems”

John Bischof, Ph.D.
Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Medtronic-Bakken Endowed Chair for Engineering in Medicine
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Minnesota

ABSTRACT:
This talk will explore several breakthrough technologies from the Gen-4 NSF Engineering Research Center ATP-Bio (Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems). The goal of ATP-Bio is to achieve cryogenic suspension of cell, tissue, organ and whole organism “testbed” systems for societal benefits in healthcare, food and sustainability and biodiversity. Engineering approaches to achieve this based on manipulation of temperature, pressure and concentration including supercooling, partial freezing, isochoric (isovolumetric) and vitrification (glass forming) approaches will be introduced. We will also discuss rapid and uniform rewarming of materials from these states so that they are both viable and functional for specific applications. Highlights include the first robust drosophila embryo and zebrafish embryo cryopreservation, the first scalable pancreatic islet cryopreservation, and the first cryopreservation of a whole rat kidney for up to 100 days.