Tuesday, 29 October 2019
Scientists from the University of Nottingham have discovered an easy, cost-effective and safe method of sending cells and small living samples worldwide, which could revolutionize conventional practice.
Cultured cells are currently transported using dry ice - the solid form of carbon dioxide - which keeps them frozen at -80oC. However, dry ice shipping is expensive, voluminous and hazardous, so much so that many couriers refuse to handle it. Also, if it evaporates before a shipment reaches its destination, cellular recovery is jeopardised, as the cells get crushed and the cryoprotectant needed for their storage at low temperatures, is toxic to cells at ambient temperatures.
Dry ice is also damaging to the environment, with 5kg (the quantity typically used in a consignment of frozen cells) turning into 23,000 litres of CO2 gas on evaporation.
An alternative, devised by experts in the School of Life Sciences at the University, uses a gel-based substance for transportation, which will eliminate these problems.
The “Transporter” is based on a gel of low-melting temperature agarose - the main constituent of many sea-weeds - in which cells are suspended and kept at room temperature. Using this method, excellent cell recovery can be achieved for over seven days in transit, and in some cases two or three times longer.
Sending cells in small volumes of Transporter (100 microlitres) in microfuge tubes at 5x106 cells/ml at ambient temperature is recommended by the research team for the best results. The new method has been successfully used on three occasions when cells were taken in hand-luggage from the UK to Hong Kong (five days in transit). The method has also been independently trialled by seven cell biologists using both mailing and courier routes.
Whilst dry ice has long provided a way of transporting cells across the globe, the cost and hazards have always been a major problem. We have developed a gel alternative, which is superior in many ways and will be of immediate benefit to all biomedical researchers because of its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. On medical grounds, it may now be possible to send, for example, stem cells quickly from one hospital to another over long distances. Its wider application is being investigated in veterinary medicine, microbiology and other biological fields.”
The findings are published in the Journal of Cell Science.
Story credits
More information is available from Sally Wheatley from the University of Nottingham’s School of Life Sciences at sally.wheatley@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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