Towards storage of cells and gametes in dry form

Collection and characterization of semen from Chilean rose tarantulas (Grammostola rosea)

“…Further investigation into the mechanisms enabling prolonged sperm cell survival at ambient temperatures and outside of a tarantula' s reproductive tract may aid in the development of long-term semen storage techniques for mammalian gamete preservation in the absence of liquid nitrogen, an area of research currently receiving considerable interest. [31][32][33] The procedure for tarantula gamete acquisition performed in the present study avoided the necessity of euthanasia and may be applied for taxonomic assessments in field settings, the study of tarantula gamete physiology, and the development of assisted reproductive technologies in spiders. All semen samples were highly concentrated, but the small sample volume of collected semen (≤ 1 µL) limited the opportunity for evaluation and further manipulation.…”

Improving Oxygen Binding of Desiccated Human Red Blood Cells

“…Drying cells without destroying them requires the presence of lyoprotectants. The most common lyoprotectant found in nature is the disaccharide trehalose, although trehalose alone is not sufficient to ensure full integrity upon rehydration [14].…”

History of Lyophilization

“…Freeze-drying stabilizes them for a long-term storage while minimizing the damages caused by strictly drying the sample. It is observed that many microorganisms survive well after freeze-drying, easily rehydrated, and can be grown in culture media after the long-term storage [19]. Also, many lyophilized products can be supplied easily to different parts of the globe with relatively less concerns of storage conditions.…”

“…The initial advent of this technology as it relates to current concepts was based on enhanced stability, storage at ambient conditions, shipping at room temperature, ease of administration, and distribution. The first known documented evidence of freeze-drying of a vaccine relates to that of a small pox vaccine in the early nineteenth century [2,[19][20][21][22][23][24]. Initial efforts to form a "dry powder" by air drying of vaccine components laid the foundation for subsequent advances in dehydration by "freeze-drying."…”

“…Initial efforts to form a "dry powder" by air drying of vaccine components laid the foundation for subsequent advances in dehydration by "freeze-drying." The first freeze-dried formulation for a small pox vaccine was published in 1909 [2,[19][20][21][22][23][24]. Subsequently, both the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and the small pox vaccine were formulated as multidose dried powders.…”