Provided is a multi-part lyophilization container for lyophilizing a fluid, storing the lyophilizate, reconstituting the lyophilizate, and infusing the reconstituted lyophilizate into a patient, including a method of using same. The container includes a front surface, a back surface, a non-breathable section including a port region, a breathable section including a breathable membrane, and a peelable region including a peelable seal encompassing a boundary between the non-breathable section and the breathable section. The method includes inputting a fluid into a non-breathable section of the container, freezing the fluid, applying, in a lyophilization chamber, vacuum pressure, opening the peelable seal using a pressure differential, applying heat energy, sublimating the fluid and creating a temporary occlusion in a peelable region of the container.

A method of treating a harvested organ or tissue for preservation for implantation into a patient has the steps of, harvesting an organ or tissue from a donor; placing the harvested organ or tissue into a container; filling the container with a fluid for preservation; sealing the container once filled; directing one or more sound wave treatments into the container to destroy bacteria or molds or fungi or virus and to stimulate the organ or tissue; and storing the container at a hypothermic temperature of about 4 degrees C. for storage prior to implantation.

In a method of ventilating excised lungs, a ventilation gas is supplied to an airway of a lung and a vacuum is formed around the lung. A quality of the vacuum is varied between a lower level and a higher level to cause the lung to breathe, while the pressure of the ventilation gas supplied to the airway is regulated to maintain a positive airway pressure in the airway of the lung. The vacuum may be cyclically varied between the two vacuum levels. The levels may be maintained substantially constant over a period of time, or one or both of the lower and higher levels may be adjusted during ventilation. The lung may be placed in a sealed chamber, and a vacuum is formed in the chamber around the lung.

Methods and apparatus use low temperature and elevated pressure to depress the freezing and melting temperature of water and aqueous solutions, to induce suspended animation in materials including but not limited to biological material, soluble molecules, organic and inorganic compounds. Disposing such materials in a pressure vessel and increasing the pressure to about 210 MPa depresses the freezing and melting temperature of water, biological matter, and materials in aqueous solution, to about −22° C. Storage at low temperature under high pressure suspends metabolic activity and induces cryostasis. The methods and apparatus may be used for cryo-banking biological materials that cannot be frozen or vitrified, or otherwise preserved, including, but not limited to, cells, tissues, human organs for transplantation, and entire organisms.

Methods and devices for lyo-processing biological materials are provided. The methods include submerging the biological molecules or cells in a buffer solution comprising trehalose, withdrawing the biological molecules or cells from the buffer solution in an environment that does not include oxygen to generate lyo-stabilized biological molecules or cells, and storing the lyo-stabilized biological molecules or cells. The devices include a motor that lowers a horizontal member having a clamp for receiving a substrate toward a solvent reservoir and raises the horizontal member having the clamp up and away from the solvent reservoir.

A lyophilization nest and method of using the same is described herein. In various embodiments, the lyophilization nest is configured to support one or more receptacles each supporting one or more substances within an interior space of the lyophilization nest. The interior space may be in fluid communication with the exterior of the lyophilization nest through one or more vent holes extending through a surface of the lyophilization nest. Each of the one or more vent holes have a corresponding sealing element configured to selectively form an air-tight seal within the vent holes, such that a controlled environment may be maintained within the interior space when the ambient conditions surrounding the lyophilization nest are not lyophilization conditions. The one or more sealing elements may be operable while the lyophilization nest is positioned within a sealed lyophilizer by depressing the sealing elements into corresponding vent holes to form the air-tight seal.

Embodiments of methods, systems, and apparatuses for lyophilizing, storing, and transfusing materials are described. In embodiments, the materials may include whole blood or a component of whole blood such as plasma.

Provided herein are methods for the isolation of platelets, for example, isolation of platelets from umbilical cord blood. In certain embodiments, presented herein are methods for preparation of platelet rich plasma. In one aspect, provided herein are methods for isolation of platelets from blood. In certain embodiments, presented herein are methods for isolation of platelets from cord blood, e.g., human cord blood. The isolated platelets can be used for a variety of applications, including, for example, methods of wound healing, organ repair and/or regeneration, and/or tissue repair and/or regeneration, in either autologous or allogeneic settings.

Embodiments of methods, systems, and apparatuses for lyophilizing, storing, and transfusing materials are described. In embodiments, the materials may include whole blood or a component of whole blood such as plasma.

A prosthetic tissue valve and a method of treating the prosthetic tissue valve are provided. The method includes: decreasing a temperature of a chamber carrying the prosthetic tissue valve from a first preset temperature to a second preset temperature in a first cooling rate; decreasing the temperature of the chamber carrying the prosthetic tissue valve from the second preset temperature to a third preset temperature in a second cooling rate; and performing a drying process to the prosthetic tissue valve. The second preset temperature is a critical crystallization temperature and is greater than a crystallization temperature of the prosthetic tissue valve. The third preset temperature is lower than the crystallization temperature of the prosthetic tissue valve, and the second cooling rate is greater than the first cooling rate.