publication date: Jun 14, 2011
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author/source: Phoenix MarCom Ltd
Roslin
Cellab,
the preeminent incubator for stem cell research and a leading provider of stem
cell research services to life sciences companies, has selected
BioCision's®CoolCell® freezing container for
cryopreservation of human embryonic stem cell lines. The decision by Roslin
Cellab - a subsidiary of the Roslin Foundation and sister company to
Roslin
Cells, a
world leader in the isolation of new clinical grade undifferentiated stem cells
for use in research and therapy - comes after a comprehensive review of the
CoolCell product line. CoolCell will replace the organization's conventional
cryopreservation tools sitewide.
"This
is by far and away the best benchtop technology to enter the field of cell
cryopreservation for decades. We have compared the BioCision CoolCell to our
old conventional method of cryopreservation and found it to be easier, safer
and most importantly of all, our cell lines were recovered with reproducibly
higher viability yields post-thaw, and subsequent ongoing growth was
improved," said John Gardner, senior project leader at Roslin Cellab.
"This suggests that the freezing rate is more accurate than the isopropyl
alcohol method, which is crucial if a cell line is to survive
cryopreservation."
Roslin
Cellab assists scientists and technologists with proof-of-concept research,
with the goal of translating stem cell research into commercially viable
technologies. It supports collaborative research and provides a wide array of
services for life sciences companies interested in engaging in stem cell
research.
The
organization had been using a cell freezing container that required the use of
100 percent isopropyl alcohol for stepwise (-1 degree C/minute) cooling of cell
lines in a -80 degree C freezer. This method requires frequent changes of the
isopropyl alcohol, a cumbersome and expensive process that demands constant
maintenance and yields variable results.
"Roslin
Cellab's deployment of CoolCell represents an important validation for our
technology. We believe our alcohol-free CoolCell is enhancing cryopreservation
for stem cells, PBMCs, cell lines and other cell types, as well as in other
areas of research in which the accuracy of freezing rates is critical,"
said BioCision CEO Rolf Ehrhardt, MD,
PhD. "Labs at institutions such as Stanford University and University of
California, San Francisco that are engaged in stem cell and other cell-based
research are increasingly adopting our products to ensure the accuracy of their
research."
BioCision's
CoolCell is ideal for cell lines, stem cells, PBMC, primary cells and yeast.
Designed with a patent-pending controlled-freezing technology, CoolCell offers
many advantages over alcohol-filled containers, including no maintenance, no
on-going cost and no hazardous waste. With the elimination of alcohol, CoolCell
delivers a highly reproducible, consistent cooling rate of -1 degree C/minute
and identical freezing profiles each time. The result is superior cell
viability and function, and more reliable cell assays.
In addition
to the CoolCell products, Roslin Cellab is deploying BioCision's
ThermalTrayTM and
CoolRack® modules, which eliminate
direct sample contact with ice, water or liquid nitrogen and enhance sterility
procedures when handling vials for tissue culture procedures. The ThermalTray
platforms and CoolRack modules provide a safe and reproducible option for
snap-freezing. The additional option of
placing the modules in a 37
degree C water bath aids the sterile
thawing of cryovials, and
delivers
consistent and reproducible thawing profiles.
"The
combination of controlled freezing with the CoolCell and controlled temperature
for thawing greatly increases the reproducibility of the freeze-thaw process,
with increased cell viability and cell growth post-thaw. The versatility of the
system is simply brilliant," Roslin Cellab's Gardner said. "The ThermalTray and
CoolRack would greatly benefit the process of transferring frozen cell lines
using a dry shipper between laboratories. Transfer from the dry shipper to a
tray can be achieved quickly without any thawing; the vials are maintained
frozen in the tray while they are transferred to laboratory. This also
eliminates the transfer of the dry shipper into the tissue culture suite, which
is a source of potential contamination."
About BioCision
BioCision is the leading developer
of portable benchtop tools for temperature-sensitive biomedical specimens and
samples used in basic research, assay development, biomarker studies,
diagnostics and clinical trials . The company's patent-pending novel alloy sample modules enable
standardized collection, protection and high reproducibility of sample
freezing, thawing and cooling. The advantages of ease of use, elimination of
user error and highly reproducible performance have led to BioCision's products
- CoolRack
®, CoolBox
TM and CoolCell
® - becoming
the new standard for benchtop sample management.
BioCision's
products have been adopted by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies,
contract research organizations, and academic and healthcare institutions
worldwide. Headquartered in Mill Valley, California,
BioCision was founded by a group of scientists, biomedical engineers and drug
development experts. For more information, visit
www.biocision.com.