SCI-GROUP AS
Org no 988 214 205 | Oslo, Norway | E-post: jj@sci-group.no
Cryopreservation is the process in which living cells or tissues are frozen to extremely low temperatures to halt all biological activity and ensure long-term storage. When the cells are thawed, they can be used as if time has stood still.
Advantages
- No, or significantly reduced need for chemical cryoprotectants (such as DMSO)
- Faster process: From several hours to just minutes
- Enables cell preservation with no, or significantly reduced use of cytotoxic chemicals
- Simplified workflow and increased safety, both for research and clinical use
Areas of application
- Medicine and healthcare (cell and gene therapy, IVF, tissue preservation)
- Research and laboratories
- Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals
- Agriculture and food security
- Conservation and biodiversity preservation
The need
There is a rapidly growing global demand for safe and efficient cryopreservation methods that are free from cytotoxic chemicals. Across medicine, research, biotechnology, agriculture, and conservation, the focus is on solutions that ensure high cell quality without the risks associated with toxic substances.» The more sophisticated the research and therapies get, the more critical enhanced cryopreservation becomes.
Traditional cryopreservation and challenges
Conventional methods for cryopreservation require the use of toxic cryoprotective agents (CPAs), with DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) having been the industry standard for decades. DMSO is highly effective at protecting cells during freezing, but it also presents significant clinical, technical, and regulatory challenges.
- Clinical toxicity: Many patients experience side effects when infused with cells containing residual DMSO. 30–40% have negative effects such as nausea, low blood pressure, and difficulty breathing. In rare cases, neurological symptoms or heart problems may occur.
- Reduced cell viability: High DMSO concentrations can reduce cell survival after thawing by up to 20%, which creates challenges for precise dosing in treatments such as CAR-T. Lower concentrations offer better survival but are unstable and difficult to formulate.
- Strict regulations: Authorities (FDA and EMA) have strict requirements for the use of DMSO, especially for children, which increases costs and drives the need for DMSO-free solutions.
- Complicated handling and increased costs: Handling DMSO is time-consuming and expensive, from GMP sourcing to washing after thawing. This leads to lower throughput and makes scaling up difficult, especially in decentralized treatment models.
Sci-Group’s solution – efficient freezing technology without cytotoxic chemical cryoprotectants
Sci-Group has developed CryoEmbla—a patented freezing technology that is strongly reduced of cytotoxic chemical cryoprotectants.
The result is rapid, safe, and efficient cryopreservation that offers:
- Cryopreservation without the use of CPAs
- A significantly faster process (from approximately 4 hours to 10 minutes)
- Higher cell survival and quality after thawing
With our advanced freezing technology, all samples achieve an optimal and uniform cooling curve, ensuring increased reproducibility and maximum cell viability.
“There are several challenges with cryopreservation that, if solved, would enable us to improve manufacturing and delivery, as well as allow for a more streamlined and efficient treatment of patients, and potentially also reduce toxicity. We therefore welcome all technological innovation in this area.”
“Through discussions about a possible collaboration with Sci-Group AS, we have considered the opportunities their new freezing technology could provide for medical research and treatment. If the freezing of cells can be done without the addition of chemical substances, it would represent a major advance in many contexts—especially in connection with cell therapy for cancer patients.”