This invention provides a fluid therapeutic placental product comprising placental cells and a placental dispersion comprising placental factors. The placental cells and the placental dispersion are derived from placental tissue. A placental tissue can optionally be an amnion, chorion, or a trophoblast-depleted chorion. The placental product of the present invention is useful in treating a patient with a tissue injury (e.g. wound or burn) by applying the placental product to the injury. Similar application is useful with ligament and tendon repair and for engraftment procedures such as bone engraftment.

Compositions and methods for the shipping, packaging, and freezing of whole or partial biological materials including but not limited to cells, tissues, and organs, designed to simultaneously reduce freezing damage and maintain tissue structure. The compositions include a buffered hyperosmotic solution, an oncotic agent, an antioxidant, a metal chelator, and a ketone body. These aspects of the present invention are applicable to transport and preservation of biological materials including but not limited to amniotic membrane of the placenta and umbilical cord and are applicable to preservation of cellular and acellular biological materials generally.

Provided is a cryopreservation jig fixture including: a base having an upper surface, side surfaces, and a bottom surface; and either a slit on the upper surface of the base or an insertion portion for inserting a cryopreservation jig on the upper surface of the base and a slit having one end opened at a lateral portion of the insertion portion. Also provided is a method of freezing and thawing a cell or tissue, which uses the fixture.

A short-term storage of stem/progenitor cells in regenerative medicine without cryopreservation and cryoprotector. The protective composition of the invention improves the quality and increases the efficiency of cell therapy by keeping stem/progenitor cells free of ultra-low temperatures (liquid nitrogen) and cryoprotectants during the period of their biosafety testing and transportation to a patient’s bed.

An apparatus, that relates to the field of in vitro fertilization, is provided for the combined incubation and vitrification of a biological material. The apparatus can be configured to allow for automatic incubation and vitrification of a viable biological material. Thereby predetermined protocols for handling the biological material can be performed precisely and accurately thus avoiding errors and deviations from the intended protocol, as caused by manual human intervention.

The present application relates to a cell cryopreservation protective composition, the use of the composition, and a cell cryopreservation method. The cell cryopreservation protective composition comprises a zwitterionic molecule having the general formula R.sub.1—N.sup.+(CH.sub.3).sub.2—(CH.sub.2).sub.n—R.sub.2, wherein R.sub.1 is a linear or branched alkyl having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and is optionally substituted with a substituent; R.sub.2 is any negatively charged group selected from the group consisting of —COO.sup.−, —SO.sub.4.sup.−, —SO.sub.3.sup.−, and (I); and R.sub.3 is a group selected from the group consisting of (methyl)acryloyloxyalkyl, alkyl and alkenyl; and the zwitterionic molecule having general formula R.sub.1—N.sup.+(CH.sub.3).sub.2—(CH.sub.2).sub.n—R.sub.2 is preferably a betaine compound. The cell cryopreservation protective composition can carry out cell cryopreservation in a non-toxic and efficient manner, and results in an extremely high post-thaw cell survival rate and does not require stepwise cryopreservation. After cell recovery, the cells can be used directly or after being slightly diluted. ##STR00001##

Cellular material containing living cells is preserved by combining the cellular material with a cryoprotectant formulation/medium/solution containing an effective amount of trehalose (in the absence of DMSO and/or any other added cryoprotectants) during a cryopreservation protocol. That is, the cryopreservation protocol is free of cryoprotectant other than trehalose, and the cryopreservation protocol includes: exposing the cellular material to a cryoprotectant formulation containing an effective amount of the trehalose to act as a cryoprotectant, cooling the cellular material at a cooling rate in the range of from −3° C./minute to −50° C./minute to a predetermined temperature below −20° C., and obtaining a cryopreserved cellular material that has been warmed.

Embodiments of the present invention provide plant-derived extracts as a replacement for traditional cryoprotectants used to freeze tissue and cells providing a method to decrease post-thaw damage as created by the cryoprotectant. For example, extracts from the genus Hippophae or other plant sources or compositions may be used as a cryoprotectant or may even be used to replace at least some of a traditional cryoprotectant.

The present invention relates to a cryoprotecting agent comprising a cryprotectant being one or more of: dextrin, dextran, isomaltooligosaccharide and derivatives thereof, cryoprotecting and cryopreserved compositions, uses thereof, and methods of cryopreservation.

Cell culture systems and methods provide improved immunotherapeutic product manufacturing with greater scalability, flexibility, and automation. Cell culture systems are configured with interchangeable cartridges, allowing versatility and scalability. Systems are configured to have multiple connected cell culture chambers, which allows parallel processing of different types of cells. Gas-impermeable cell culture chambers and methods for generating cells in closed systems prevent contamination and user error. Methods for recycling cell culture medium provide additional efficiencies.