A port includes a conduit configured to receive a spike therein. The conduit includes a first portion, a second portion, and a septum fluidly separates the first portion and the second portion of the conduit. The septum is puncturable by the spike so as to allow the spike to be inserted into the second portion of the conduit. A removable snap portion extends from a break point to the tip of the port. The thickness of the break point is less than the thickness of the remainder of the conduit wall. The removable snap portion is configured to break away from the port at the break point such that the septum is accessible by the spike via the first portion of the conduit when the removable snap portion is broken away from the port. The port may include fluorinated ethylene propylene, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy alkane, and combinations thereof.

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.

The invention relates generally to methods of improving function of a transplanted organ, treating or preventing primary graft dysfunction of a transplanted organ, treating or preventing acute rejection of a transplanted organ, treating or preventing delayed graft function, or achieving a clinical endpoint indicative of a successful organ transplant in a recipient of the transplanted organ which comprise contacting blood from the recipient with an extracorporeal membrane having a plurality of pores having an average pore size of at least 40 kDa, 50 kDa or 60 kDa to permit inflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory molecules to pass through the pores and out of the blood that is returned back to the recipient.

Provided herein are systems and methods for preserving and transporting tissues for transplantation. In particular, tissue to be implanted is encapsulated in an alginate gel, which is exposed to culture medium to improve cell viability and suppress inflammatory factors during long-term storage and transport.

Methods of preventing and/or treating ischemia, organ dysfunction and/or organ failure, including multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and necrosis and apoptosis associated with organ dysfunction/failure, are provided. For instance, the methods involve contacting organ(s) with an oxygenated cholesterol sulfate (OCS), e.g. 5-cholesten-3,25-diol, 3-sulfate (25H-C3S). The organ(s) may be in vivo (e.g. in a patient that is treated with the OCS) or ex vivo (e.g. an organ that has been harvested from a donor and is to be transplanted).

Methods for stabilizing blood samples, e.g., clinical blood samples, for storage or transportation before use.

The present invention relates to methods of cryopreservation and compositions for use in such methods where the methods utilise non-Newtonian fluid properties of the cryopreservation medium to modulate the viscosity of that medium to deliver an improved cryopreservation process.

A cell preservation medium, a cell recovery medium and a cell culture medium, and methods which employ the media, are provided.

The present invention provides a method for evaluating effectiveness of a cell therapeutic agent. When using TGF-β and/or TSP-1 expression level(s) in: (a) a first population of transformed mammalian cells with TGF-β; and (b) a second population of untransformed mammalian cells with the same gene, respectively, as a criterion for determining effectiveness of a cell therapeutic agent, and whether or not expression thereof, it is possible to definitely determine the therapeutic efficacy of each cell therapeutic agent prior to initiation of the treatment. In addition, since use of a cell therapeutic agent without therapeutic effects is avoided, undesired procedures and side effects may not be entailed.