title: Microprocessor-controlled freezing device for cryopreservation of cell samples.
abstract: A freezing device for cryopreservation of blood mononuclear cells has been developed. The device is microcontroller operated, allowing cell freezing by a fully automatic, unattended process. To ensure optimum preservation, the temperature in the cell suspension uniformly decreases from room temperature to -100 degrees C and then the samples are transferred to long-term storage. The performance of the device has been tested using both physiological solution and a sample of cell suspension. The control of temperature variation of cell suspension in the entire temperature range has been realised with an accuracy better than +/- 0.1%. The viability of cells recovered from the frozen samples was 95%. The nitrogen consumption for one cycle of cryopreservation was 1.51. In addition to the fully automatic mode, the manual and semi-automatic modes are available for research purposes. The device has been designed using low cost and widely used electronic components and materials, it is compact and simple to operate.
authors.affiliation: Institute Vinca, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Djurić
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Drndarević
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vujić
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002470:Cell Survival; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology; D008838:Microcomputers