PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New findings could overcome major stumbling blocks to tissue cryopreservation for medical care

2013-11-05
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
New findings could overcome major stumbling blocks to tissue cryopreservation for medical care

VIDEO: This slow-motion video depicts freezing in a cell pair during a rapid-cooling experiment. The cells, which are observed using a high-speed video cryomicroscope, each have a diameter of approximately...
Click here for more information.

Developing an efficient way to freeze and store living tissues could transform many aspects of medical care and research, but ice crystallization often occurs within cells during such cryopreservation procedures, leading to cell death. In the November 5 issue of the Biophysical Journal, a Cell Press publication, researchers report that they have gained new information about the processes that are responsible for promoting the freezing of cells within tissues. This knowledge may ultimately lead to novel approaches for preventing tissue injury during cryopreservation.

A long-standing obstacle to avoiding tissue damage during freezing is that when cells are joined together within tissues, individual cells are more likely to crystallize than if the cells are kept apart. "In tissues, ice crystals are thought to be able to grow through membrane channels called gap junctions, thus allowing ice to easily propagate from cell to cell," explains senior author Dr. Jens Karlsson, of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University. "But the results of the present study indicate that the mechanism of tissue cryo-injury is much more complex than was previously thought."

Dr. Karlsson and his team monitored microscopic freezing events inside genetically modified cells and used mathematical models to show that gap junctions do not always provide the major pathway for the spreading of ice crystals between cells. They saw that cell-to-cell propagation of ice also occurred during freezing of tissue samples in which gap junction formation had been suppressed. The authors discovered that intercellular connections—in which neighboring cell membranes are stitched together by rows of rivet-like structures known as tight junctions—also play a significant role.

"By using high-speed video imaging, we found evidence that ice from outside the cells sometimes forms nanoscale branches, which can penetrate the barriers created by tight junction seams," says Dr. Karlsson. "The resulting invasion of the spaces between cells appears to promote crystallization of the cells adjacent to the breach."

The unexpected findings may provide a boon for the manufacturing of engineered tissue products that can be used for grafts and organ transplantations. "Using cryopreservation to stop living tissue constructs from spoiling during storage will be the key to enabling economical mass production, quality assurance, and shipping logistics for these life-saving products," says Dr. Karlsson.



INFORMATION:

Biophysical Journal, Higgins et al.: "Effects of Intercellular Junction Protein Expression on Intracellular Ice



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The oldest ice core

2013-11-05
The oldest ice core Finding a 1.5 million-year record of Earth's climate How far into the past can ice-core records go? Scientists have now identified regions in Antarctica they say could store information about Earth's climate and greenhouse gases extending as ...

SCIENCE CHINA chemistry special topic: Extraction of uranium from seawater

2013-11-05
SCIENCE CHINA chemistry special topic: Extraction of uranium from seawater 2013 No.11 issue of SCIENCE CHINA Chemistry published a special topic on extraction of uranium from Seawater recently. Owing to the fast economic growing and the concern over greenhouse gases and ...

VC predicts the motion of the ocean

2013-11-05
VC predicts the motion of the ocean ANU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Young AO, has just published research that will help you every morning with the surf report. Research led by the Vice-Chancellor will allow oceanographers and meteorologists to better ...

Emissions pricing revenues could overcompensate profit losses of fossil fuel owners

2013-11-05
Emissions pricing revenues could overcompensate profit losses of fossil fuel owners Yet the instrument of pricing global CO2 emissions could generate a revenue of 32 trillion US dollars over the 21st century, exceeding by far the ...

Machines learn to detect breast cancer

2013-11-05
Machines learn to detect breast cancer Software that can recognize patterns in data is commonly used by scientists and economics. Now, researchers in the US have applied similar algorithms to help them more accurately diagnose breast cancer. The researchers outline details ...

New discovery could dramatically reduce leishmaniasis treatment doses and side effects

2013-11-05
New discovery could dramatically reduce leishmaniasis treatment doses and side effects An 83 percent improvement in efficacy in the drug most commonly used to treat leishmaniasis The Amphotericin B (AmB) is the main active ingredient in the most effective ...

Hypersensitivity to pain produced by early life stress is worsened by later stress exposure

2013-11-05
Hypersensitivity to pain produced by early life stress is worsened by later stress exposure Reports new study in Biological Psychiatry Philadelphia, PA, November 5, 2013 – Childhood neglect and abuse, whether physical or psychological, confers a lifetime vulnerability ...

Muggings more than double in London after dark

2013-11-05
Muggings more than double in London after dark Muggers in London strike around two and half times more often during hours of darkness then in daylight, a new study shows. The first study to look at the hourly pattern of street robbery in London found a 160% rise ...

New ligament discovered in the human knee

2013-11-05
New ligament discovered in the human knee Two knee surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven have discovered a previously unknown ligament in the human knee. This ligament appears to play an important role in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. ‪Despite ...

Global map provides new insights into land use

2013-11-05
Global map provides new insights into land use UFZ researchers show the complexity of land use by mapping its common patterns This news release is available in German. Leipzig. In order to assess the global impacts of land use on the environment ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Global environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys significantly expand known geographic and ecological niche ranges of marine fish, highlighting current biases in conservation and ecological modeling

Hundreds of animal studies on brain damage after stroke flagged for problematic images

Prize winner’s research reveals how complex neural circuits are correctly wired during brain development

Supershear rupture sustained in thick fault zone during 2025 Mandalay earthquake, study in research package shows

Study reveals how brain cell networks stabilize memory formation

CTE: More than just head trauma, suggests new study

New psychology study suggests chimpanzees might be rational thinkers

Study links genetic variants to higher 'bad' cholesterol and heart attack risk

Myanmar fault had ideal geometry to produce 2025 supershear earthquake

Breakthrough in BRCA2 research: a novel mechanism behind chemoresistance discovered

New funding for health economics research on substance use disorder treatments

Tying protein to fraying DNA solves mystery of illness for patients around the world

MD Anderson shares latest research breakthroughs

19 women’s college basketball coaches join forces to improve women’s cardiovascular health

Palaeontology: How ammolite gemstones get their vivid colours

New study explores ‘legacy effects’ of soil microbes on plants across Kansas

Nanotyrannus confirmed: Dueling dinosaurs fossil rewrites the story of T. rex

How do planets get wet? Experiments show water creation during planet formation process

The diagnosis and evolving treatment landscape of systemic light chain amyloidosis

Lactylation in gynecological malignancies: a bridge between lactate metabolism and epigenetic therapy

Immune cell phenotypes, inflammatory proteins and epilepsy

Olfaction and coronary heart disease

Consistent adherence to physical activity guidelines and digestive system cancer risk and mortality

Beliefs about the effect of alcohol use on cancer risk in the us adult population

Comprehensive molecular profiling of renal medullary carcinoma identifies TROP2 as a promising therapeutic target

Breast cancer risk varies between different hormonal contraceptives

Immature brain-supporting cells switch fate to restore blood flow after stroke 

Making more supply to meet the demands of muscle cell therapy

Americans have widespread misbeliefs about the cancer risks of alcohol, study finds

JMIR Publications’ Journal of Medical Internet Research invites submissions on Digital Health Strategic Planning

[Press-News.org] New findings could overcome major stumbling blocks to tissue cryopreservation for medical care