INTRODUCTION

Cryopreservation is the process of cooling and storing cells, tissues, or organs at very low temperatures to maintain their viability. The purpose of cryopreservation is to bank the cells and allow their future use in in vitro or in vivo applications for which post-thaw function is sufficiently representative of the cells' prefreeze function. Cryopreservation also minimizes the risk of genetic mutation or development of subpopulations due to cell replication. Depending on the application, sufficient postcryopreservation function may be assessed by the ability to divide, proliferate, differentiate, express genes, or to produce proteins, or by another specific functional property.