ABSTRACT
Stabilization of cells by freeze-drying has been one of the major goals of cryobiology for decades, but success has been limited mainly to prokaryotes.
The first reports of preserving mammalian cells — red blood cells
— in a dry state soon led to controversy,
which resulted in the consensus that freeze-drying of mammalian cells was probably not possible. However, with the development of new technologies
and the application of molecular techniques,
this field has taken on a
new life. In fact, several reports suggest that freeze-dried human platelets are nearly ready for clinical trials.
