ABSTRACT
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Clinical demand for human tissue grafts continues to grow both in volume and in the range of tissues required for transplantation. At present, however, banking is limited to tissues that either do not require live cells for optimum function (e.g., bone, tendon) or that are sufficiently simple in structure to survive rudimentary freezing techniques. These methods frequently consist of either uncontrolled freezing in a –80°C freezer or use protocols adapted from those developed for use with suspensions of cells of a type often unconnected with the tissues themselves. In fact, it can be said that, with little exception, the introduction of new tissue products has progressed with little a priori research or understanding of the effects of freezing on tissue structure and function and in ignorance of a growing body of research into the cryobiology of freezing injury in multicellular systems.
