Cryobiology

Abstract

This chapter deals with cryobiology, which is the study of effects of subfreezing temperatures on biological systems stands at the interface between physics and biology. Cryobiology covers three broad areas: the study of cold-adaptation of plants and animals, cryosurgery, and cryopreservation. Cryopreservation, which deals with the storage of biological materials at low temperature, is of particular interest for tissue engineering (TE). The most common concept underlying TE is to combine a scaffold (cellular solids) or matrix (hydrogels) with living cells to form a 'tissue engineered construct ' (TEC) to promote the repair and regeneration of tissues. Cryopreservation plays an important role in cell and tissue banking. It attains even greater importance in the future within the field of tissue engineering (TE) as off-the-shelf products are a prerequisite for routine clinical applications. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.