A Novel Storage Method for Umbilical Cord Blood

NoveStororagMeethod  fUmmbilicCord  d  Blood

Afshan, Gul S; Hassemer, Eryn L

Currently, umbilical cord blood (UCB) is cryopreserved for medical applications by private and public banks with high initial processing and annual storage fees. This can be a significant financial burden, therefore, a new method is currently under way to store UCB. Historically, lyophilization of mammalian cells yields low cell viability upon rehydration. We are pursuing an alternative lyophilization protocol that uses a more natural cryoprotectant derived from a plant sugar and green tea. This protocol uses a newly designed millifluidic device that serves as both a sample chamber and long-term storage vessel for UCB. It is capable of withstanding the extreme conditions that occur during lyophilization and autoclaving. As the cell viability is directly related to the recovery process, it is projected that higher viability can be achieved for cells stored and rehydrated in the millifluidic device. This technology is being developed to enhance the availability of UCB banking for families from all economic ranks by eliminating the annual fees for liquid nitrogen, maintenance, and storage space. The compact design of the millifluidic device would enable storage under less stringent conditions. This project offers an innovative, marketable solution for utilizing umbilical cord blood stem cells for a growing number of therapeutic uses. The work has been initiated as a senior design project and continues with further development of the prototype along with the methods and safety processes associated with it.