All biotechnology, basic biology, drug delivery and regenerative medicine is reliant on high-quality cells and tissue. Continuous culture is not a viable option for most cells, so they must be stored as frozen stocks. Current cryoprotectants are (toxic) organic solvents which do not give 100 % recovery, many cells-types do not fully recover after freezing and the solvents are challenging to remove which can impair translational applications.<br/>To overcome these challenges we have developed a unique class of synthetic polymers which can modulate the formation and growth of ice crystals, inspired by antifreeze (glyco)proteins, AF(G)Ps. We have previously demonstrated the use of poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA, as a (surprisingly) potent ice recrystallization inhibitor, but its underlying mode of action is still not fully understood. Here I will show progress into understanding the function of PVA, using mono-disperse oligomers of precise chain length and introduce our next generation materials. These are designed around the principle of amphipathicity, rather than precision engineering of ice-binding sites, and the concept will be demonstrated with design peptides, polymers and self-assembled entities. The application of these antifreeze-protein inspired polymers to enhance the cryopreservation of a range of challenging cell types will be shown, including adherent cell monolayers, without the need for detachment and processing.

Antifreeze-protein inspired polymers to enable (therapeutic) cell storage and distribution

255th National Meeting (2018)

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