| WARF: P03369US |  |
| Cryopreservation of Embryonic Stem Cells |
| INVENTORS | • | Sean Palecek, Juan DePablo, Lin Ji, James Thomson |
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is seeking commercial partners interested in developing improved methods for the cryopreservation of human embryonic stem cells.
OVERVIEW
Human embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are extremely sensitive to cryopreservation. Using current cryopreservation protocols, only about one out of every one-thousand frozen cells survives, and many of the surviving cells differentiate following thawing.
THE INVENTION
UW-Madison researchers have developed improved methods for the cryopreservation of human embryonic stem cells. Traditional cryopreservation methods involve detaching ES cell colonies from their plate, exposing the cells to a chemical cryoprotectant formula and freezing them in vials. After discovering that ES cells begin to die during the detachment process and continue to die until the colonies reattach, the researchers devised a method of preserving the cells while they are still attached to a solid support matrix. The cells are grown on a bottom layer of solid support matrix and subsequently covered by a top layer of the matrix to form a matrix-cell-matrix composition. Prior to freezing, cryopreservation media is added to the top layer. The cryopreservation media may contain the disaccharide trehalose, which has been shown to protect mammalian cells during freezing and drying.
APPLICATIONS
- Decreases the differentiation rate of frozen ES cells, facilitating their storage, shipping and handling
KEY BENEFITS
- Greatly increases viability of frozen cells -- as many as one in ten frozen cells survive
- Reduces time required to recover preserved cells and amplify frozen stocks of ES cells
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Intellectual Property Status
Tech Fields
Pluripotent Cells - Tools
CONTACT INFORMATION
For current licensing status, please contact our team at
licensing@warf.org
or phone 608.262.4924. (Clicking this link will open a contact form in a popup window. If you have problems viewing the form, try disabling your popup blocker software.)
Since its founding in 1925 as the patenting and licensing organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, WARF has been working with business and industry to transform university research into products that benefit society. WARF intellectual property managers and licensing staff members are leaders in the field of university-based technology transfer. They are familiar with the intricacies of patenting, have worked with researchers in relevant disciplines, understand industries and markets, and have negotiated innovative licensing strategies to meet the individual needs of business clients.
