Every freeze-thaw cycle puts a culture under stress. Cool too fast, and trapped water can form damaging ice crystals. Cool too slowly, and cells dehydrate and shrink as water moves into an increasingly concentrated extracellular medium.
To limit this damage, researchers must make critical decisions about cell preparation, cryoprotection, cooling rate, and storage. This guide explains how these choices affect cell stress and offers guidance for selecting a cryopreservation approach best suited to the culture.
Download this guide to
- Understand the mechanisms behind freezing damage
- Evaluate decisions that help protect cells during cryopreservation
- Review how to select and prepare cultures for freezing
- Learn how to identify and troubleshoot poor cell viability
