Impact of Cryoformulation and Controlled Process on T Cell Cryopreservation

Cryopreservation is an indispensable technology in the field of cell therapy influencing the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of cell-based drug products to the point of recipient i.e., patients. During the freezing of an aqueous suspension of living cells, water forms ice outside the cells first. Consequently, the solute concentration in the remaining liquid outside of the cells increases. This leads to an increase in extracellular osmotic pressure which drives the intracellular water out. Insufficient removal of intracellular dehydration leads to intracellular ice formation, which can perturb structural integrity of the cells. Excessive removal of water from the cells can also lead to a harmful increase in intracellular solute concentration. A careful balance between intracellular ice formation and dehydration is needed for optimized cell recovery. Incorporating controlled nucleation and carefully designed cryoformulation can help in improving cryopreservation outcomes by increasing intracellular dehydration and inhibiting intracellular ice formation, membrane damage during freezing and inhibiting the ice recrystallization during thawing. The improvement in the key cellular and physical processes from controlled nucleation leads to higher post freeze-thaw recovery as well as reduced toxic DMSO concentrations in the final cell therapy drugs.