Cryopreservation and low temperature biology in blood transfusion

I. Principles and fundamentals.- Metabolism and physiology of cells at low temperatures.- Freezing and thawing plasma.- Cell and cell constituent freeze-drying: fundamentals and principles.- Freezing versus vitrification; basic principles.- Ice nucleation and growth in vitrifiable solutions.- Liposomes as a model system for the cryopreservation of peripheral blood cells.- Discussion.- II. Low temperature biology aspects.- Storage media for red cells.- Prolonged storage of adult and newborn red cells.- Extended storage of (washed) red cells at 4°C.- Storage of platelet concentrates in plasma-free synthetic media.- Separation and purification of cold insoluble globulines.- New solution for organ preservation.- Discussion.- III Cryopreservation aspects.- Platelet freezing.- Platelet freezing: the effect of some additives.- Inexpensive method for cryopreservation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes.- Cryopreservation of human stem cells.- Preservation and storage of human blood plasma proteins.- Residual water content in a lyophilized, heated coagulation factor concentrate.- Discussion.- IV. Advances and clinical applications.- Clinical application of cryopreserved stem cells and platelets in a bone marrow transplant program.- Clinical efficacy of cryopreserved bone.- Vitrification as an approach to organ cryopreservation: past, present, and future.- Transfusion, transplantation and the immunological revolution.- Discussion.