Tomorrow Biostasis Tests a Whole-Body Storage System at −140 °C
Tomorrow Biostasis Tests a Whole-Body Storage System at −140 °C
On August 27, the cryopreservation company Tomorrow Biostasis reported that it was testing a system for long-term whole-body storage. The vessel has already been delivered to the European Biostasis Foundation site in Rafz, Switzerland. Commissioning will take several months.
In Tomorrow Bio's previous development plan, intermediate temperature storage (ITS) was the next step after its current cryopreservation procedures. The company is now testing a whole-body vessel for this purpose at its site.
ITS stands for intermediate temperature storage. It is designed for a vitrified body. After treatment with a protective cryoprotectant solution, the liquid in the tissues solidifies into a glass-like state as it cools.
As cooling continues, this glass-like material contracts. In a large body, the outer and inner regions may cool and contract at different rates. This difference creates mechanical stress that can cause fractures. Modeling of large vitrified samples links temperature gradients to this type of stress and cracking.
Long-term cryogenic storage is usually performed at the temperature of liquid nitrogen, approximately −196 °C. ITS is designed for storage at approximately −140 °C. This temperature is below the glass transition temperature, at which the solution solidifies into a glass-like state, but above the temperature of liquid nitrogen. According to Tomorrow Biostasis CEO Emil Kendziorra, this approach reduces thermal stress during cooling. The system is intended to maintain the specified temperature range throughout the entire volume.
On its technical page, the company states that commissioning will include measurements of liquid nitrogen consumption, temperature stability, and temperature uniformity. It will also test how well the automated control system maintains the temperature during prolonged operation. Separate tests will examine the system's behavior during failures of the sensors, controller, power supply, and nitrogen supply.
A temperature map covering the entire volume will show whether the required range is maintained simultaneously in different parts of the storage system. Failure scenarios will show how that range changes when an individual component fails. The company plans to use these measurements to establish the system's maintenance requirements and operating limits.