ABSTRACT
Medical and biological technologies operating at extremely low temperatures have been developed as part of the discipline of low temperature biology (cryobiology), and the wider †eld of bioengineering [Kuleshova and Hutmacher, 2008]. The direct aim of medical cryobiology is to utilize reduced temperatures to facilitate the long term preservation of cells, tissues, and organs with guaranteed phenotypic and genotypic stability. Cryobiology enables the induction of a state whereby “translational molecular motions are signi†cantly arrested, marking the end of biological time” [Fahy et al., 1984]. Advances in medical technologies, such as organ transplantation, in vitro fertilization
(IVF), or commercialization of cell therapies, are limited by the availability of consistent and safe viable materials for use. Reliable and reproducible protocols for the preservation of living materials are required to facilitate banking and subsequent supply. In addition to storage of biological material, low temperature therapies contribute effectively to the treatment of debilitating disorders and cancers. Cryobiology covers a broad range of activities within a diversity of scienti†c aspects.
