Cryopreservation : Technologies, Applications and Risks/Outcomes

Cryopreservation is a process where cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to sub-zero temperatures, typically 77 K. At these cold temperatures, any biological activity, including the biochemical reactions that would cause cell death, is effectively stopped. In this book, the authors discuss the technologies, applications and risks/outcomes of cryopreservation. Topics include cryopreservation of filamentous fungi; differential scanning calorimetry as a useful tool for understanding crystallisation and slow-freezing protocols; alternatives to cryopreservation for the short and long-term storage of mammalian cells; and mathematical modelling and simulations in the cryopreservation of living cells.