New Fellows Announced

The Board of Governors is pleased to announce the recent approval of two new Fellows of the Society for Cryobiology: Jason Acker and Janet Elliott. Janet and Jason will be presented with their Fellow medals during a special session at CRYO2019, held in San Diego, July 22-25, 2019. 

Jason Acker 
Dr. Jason Acker is a Senior Research Scientist with the Canadian Blood Services and a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He received his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science in Experimental Pathology and PhD in Medical Sciences degrees from the University of Alberta.  In 2000, Dr. Acker completed a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Acker received a Master of Business Administration in Technology Commercialization program from the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta in 2009. 

Focusing his research on understanding the biological response of cells to freezing and freeze-drying has allowed Dr. Acker to develop a solid foundation from which he has contributed to the design of new methods for the long-term storage of a number of cell types and tissues. 

Dr. Acker’s research program over the past 15 years has continued to focus on expanding our understanding of the biological response of cells and tissues to freezing and freeze-drying.  His work has specifically focused on the development of intracellular protectants as a novel class of molecules that can protect cells and tissues during freezing and drying. In addition to the seminal contributions to our understanding of cryoinjury that Dr. Acker has made, it has been the translation work that he is often most recognized for. In the area of transfusion medicine, Dr. Acker is a world leader in understanding the effects of blood component manufacturing and low-temperature storage on patient outcomes and has led many national and international efforts to improve the quality and safety of blood components. Dr. Acker’s blood services laboratory has responsibility for developing scientific and technical evidence to support innovative changes in blood product manufacturing, storage and utilization at CBS.  Dr. Acker leads efforts to assess new technology, products and processes that can improve the efficiency, quality and safety of blood product manufacturing.  Through his study of low temperatures, Dr. Acker has made, and will continue to make, significant contributions the practical aspects of cell and tissue banking.

Janet Elliott
Biography courtesy of University of Alberta
Dr. Elliott obtained her B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science (Engineering Physics Option) and her M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto. She has been a Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at the Oxford Centre for Collaborative Applied Mathematics.

Dr. Elliott currently serves as Associate Editor of the journal Cryobiology, on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Journal of Physical Chemistry, and on the American Chemical Society Division of Colloid & Surface Chemistry Executive Committee. She has served on scientific committees for international conferences in the areas of cryobiology, surfaces and colloids, and space physical sciences. She has served on grant selection committees for all three of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). She has served as a member of the Physical Sciences Advisory Committee for the Canadian Space Agency and on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering.

Dr. Elliott’s research has been recognized nationally in science and engineering by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering Syncrude Canada Innovation Award (2008), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Doctoral Prize (1998), the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers Young Engineer Achievement Award (2001), the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Young Explorer’s Prize (2002) and Time Magazine’s Canadians Who Define the New Frontiers of Science (2002). Dr. Elliott has also received provincial and University awards including the University of Alberta Teaching Unit Award (2004, 2016). As one student put it, “She could convince rocks to study thermodynamics.” 

New Website Launch 

The Society for Cryobiology is pleased to announce the launch of their brand new website. 

New Features

• Completely Updated Template - Mobile responsive template with a fresh, modern feel.
• Integrated Payment Gateway - Say goodbye to Paypal. You'll now stay on the Society's site while you check out using your credit or debit card. 
• Automated Dues Invoicing - Dues renewal notices will be triggered automatically with each member receiving a customized invoice to pay online. Simply click the button in your email, and pay online with your credit card. 
• Updated Membership Form - Apply or renew using the same form, with advanced field logic permissioning fields to appropriate applicants/users only. 
• New Job Board - The Society has partnered with JobBoard.io who offer special pricing to Associations. Post your job on the Society's Job Board only, or push it out to the entire Zip Recruiter network. The choices is yours. 
• Brand New Member Directory - Logged in members can search for members, or view the entire directory (members must opt in to the directory to be viewable).
• Updated and Revised Members' Area - Stay tuned as we add more members' only content over the coming year. 
• New 'Industry' Menu Item - A call to action for industry professionals to get involved with the Society by supporting our Annual Meeting
• New 'Resources' Menu Item - New pages include 'Position Statements', 'Scientific Partners', and a soon to be added Press Release page. 
• Sponsor Widget - We can now recognize the sponsors of our Annual Meeting using a sponsor advertisement which will appear in the sidebar, or at the bottom of your screen. 
• Donation Widget - A high visibility call to action asking site visitors to donate to the Society. 
• Upgraded Events Calendar - Now dynamically displays event name, date and location in an automatically generated events calendar. 

Membership Dues Increase

At the Board of Governor's end of year quarterly meeting they voted to increase individual membership dues from $75, to $90 for the 2019 membership year. This is the first increase in membership dues since 2015. The price of the journal subscription remains unchanged at $185 for 6 issues over 12 months. 

The additional funds will go towards supporting the recently created Young Investigator Award, which will be available to enter by young professionals <10 years post-PhD. The award will carry an honorarium of $5,000, and the opportunity for the winner to present their research in a plenary session or symposium at the Society's Annual Meeting. 

The next anticipated review of membership dues will be in 2022. 

CRYO2019 Call for Abstracts 

The first call for abstracts for CRYO2019 has been released on November 26, 2018. Abstract submission will close on March 4, 2019. 

For more information and to submit your abstract please visit the CRYO2019 website. 

2018 Election Winners 

Congratulations to the Society for Cryobiology 2018 election winners for Governor:

2018 Election

Top: John G. Baust, Rob Ben, Ali Eroglu
Botton: Xiaoming "Shawn" He, Peter Kilbride, Estefania Paredes, Gang Zhao

This year's Society for Cryobiology election will be held October 15-29, 2018.  The election is for three Governor-at-Large positions for a three year term, commencing January 2019 and ending December 2021.

DOWNLOAD CANDIDATE BIOGRAPHIES

SLTB 2018 Meeting Report 

Guest Post by Alasdair Kay, University of York, United Kingdom 

New Website Consultation

Pierre Boutron Named CryoFellow

Pierre Boutron has recently been announced as the 2018 Society for Cryobiology Basil J. Luyet CryoFellow.

Pictured Above: Society for Cryobiology President, Dayong Gao, presents Pierre Boutron with the Basil J. Luyet Fellow Medal during the opening ceremony of CRYO2018, held July 10, 2018. 

Dr. Boutron is recognized today as the man who taught us how to understand the amorphous, or non-crystalline, state of solutions of cryoprotective agents, however as early as 1978 he was also the first person to envision achieving vitrification at low cooling rates using high concentrations of cryoprotectants. That was one reason he sought to understand the conditions required to prevent significant quantities of ice from forming during either cooling or warming. It was also the reason he set out to discover novel cryoprotectants that would favor vitrification. 

In his 1978 manuscript 'Stability of the Amorphous State in the System Water-Glycerol-Dimethylsulfoxide' published in Cryobiology lengthy tables show in great detail the amount of ice formed in different solutions at different warming rates and temperatures based on differential scanning calorimetry, or DSC, which Dr. Boutron introduced into the field of cryobiology. He also displayed rigorous proof of the absence of ice by X-ray crystallography, or elucidation of the apparent form of ice when ice did form. This paper also introduced the fundamental concept of the existence of critical cooling and warming rates, without which vitrification can hardly even be correctly discussed today. 

Assemble Plus Marine Funding Call

Assemble Plus has opened its second call for access to infrastructure in Marine labs in Europe. 

Assemble Plus funds acess, travel and living expenses for researchers to carry out experiments using marine organisms or equipment available in the marine stations within its member network.

View the Funding Call, check out the FAQ, and visit the Assemble Plus website to find out more information. 

Research Associate in Cryopreservation

An exciting job opportunity as a Postdoctoral Research Associate is available at Newcastle University, between the Institute of Genetic Medicine (IGM) and the School of Computing (CS). The RA will conduct experimental work in a multidisciplinary team, comprising Dr Roman Bauer (CS), Prof. Majlinda Lako (IGM) and Prof. Evelyne Sernagor (Institute of Neuroscience).

You will work on a project studying the impact of cryopreservation on different kinds of biological tissues. Cryogenic processing protocols will be tested and assessed using a wide range of experimental methods, taking into account anatomy, gene expression and electrical activity. The goal of the project led by Dr Roman Bauer, in collaboration with GE Healthcare and CERN, is to model and improve tissue cryopreservation to yield high-quality post-thaw tissue.

You will hold a PhD in a bioscience discipline and have experience in several experimental techniques, which can be for instance immunohistochemistry, primary cell/tissue culture, qPCR and/or pluripotent stem cell differentiation. Ideally, you will also have experience in at least one electrophysiology method, e.g. in patch clamp or multi-electrode array (MEA) recording.

You will be highly ambitious, have excellent written and spoken English language skills, the ability to present clearly your work, supervise students and collaborate efficiently in a multidisciplinary team. You will have the opportunity to learn new experimental techniques (e.g. organoid growth or MEA recordings from retina), develop leadership skills or quantitative or computational skills if you wish.

The post is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and tenable for 32 months on a full-time basis. As part of your application, please provide a CV and covering letter which details your prior experience in experimental work.

CRYO2018 Report 

CRYO2018, which took place July 10-13 at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid, Spain, was one of the Society's largest meetings in recent memory, attracting 300 abstract submissions and 250 delegates from 35 countries worldwide.

For full details of the program download the electronic copy of the program book and abstract supplement. You can also view all the photos from CRYO2018. 

Program
The meeting featured 175 oral presentations and over 100 poster presentations, across 5 plenary sessions, 10 symposia, 17 sessions and 2 poster sessions. Alongside traditional sessions exploring cell and tissue preservation, ice formation, tools and technologies, and plant cryopreservation, there were several sessions which stood out as sessions of note. These included three sessions organized jointly with the Organ Preservation Alliance on the current situation and future research required for organ preservation, and cryopreservation of reproductive tissue for cancer survivors. Additionally, due to the expertise of the local organizing committee, the meeting also included sessions on Cryobiology in Food Science and Technology and Challenges in Cryobiology for Microorganisms. 

Election 2018

Nominations are now open for the 2018 election for 3 governors 2019-2021

The nominations committee is now inviting nominations from all Society members in good standing for the position of Governor 2019-2021. There are 3 posts available. 

Please register your interest in standing for election with Nicole Evans by June 1, 2018. A detailed biography and candidate statement outlining your vision for the Society will be requested thereafter. 

The 2018 nominating committee is: 
Adam Higgins (Chair; President-Elect)
Dayong Gao (President)
Greg Fahy (Governor)
Erik Woods (Governor)
Ido Braslavsky (Governor)

Please note all nominations are subject to approval by the nominations committee. This does not affect your right to nomination by petition as outlined in the society's bylaws. 

Volunteers Required! 

In Memoriam - Alan P. MacKenzie 

The Society for Cryobiology was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Dr. Alan P. MacKenzie, President of the Society for Cryobiology 1977-1978. Dr. MacKenzie was a lifelong supporter and member of the Society, joining in the Society's founding year - 1964, and continuing his affiliation with the Society throughout his lifetime. 

Alan trained in chemistry at the University of London and enjoyed a long career in freeze-drying from 1959. He published more than 60 papers and a number of book chapters on lyophilization, and lectured and taught the subject in both the US and Europe for more than 25 years. He enjoyed a close relationship with the Center for Pharmaceutical Processing Research (CPPR), acting in a number of capacities during their annual meetings, including as keynote speaker on several occasions. 

During his career Alan held posts at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and from 1976 - 1990 was based at the University of Washington in the School of Medicine, Faculty of Bioengineering. From 1990 onward he consulted full time for the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries. 

Alan's research interests included aqueous and other solution chemistries, product formulations, freeze-drying cycle development and validation, process scale-up and technology transfer.

Please send remembrances and condolences to Executive Director, Nicole Evans and she will pass them on to Alan's daughter, Sarah, to share with the family.  

Royan Institute Cryobiology and Biobanking Symposium 

The Royan Institute held their second cryobiology and biobanking symposium on Feb. 14, 2018, in Tehran, Iran.

The Royan Institute was established in 1991 as a public non-profit research institute for reproductive biomedicine and infertility treatments. Today Royan consists of three research institutes: 

Society for Cryobiology Profiled in Cold Facts

Fellow Nominations Open 

CALL FOR CRYOFELLOW NOMINATIONS - DEADLINE APRIL 30


President, Jason Acker, presents President-Elect, Dayong Gao with the CryoFellow Medal at CRYO2017. 

The 2018 CryoFellows Nominations Committee is now soliciting nominations for the appointment of new CryoFellows. This Committee, consisting of three members of the Board of Governors and two CryoFellows, evaluates the nominations and makes recommendations to the Board for approval of new Fellows.

Jan 30: Nominations Open 
April 30: Nominations Close
Week of April 30: Board to vote on nominations at Q2 meeting
July 12: Presentation of Fellow medal at CRYO2018 (dependent on Fellow availability) 

The Society for Cryobiology established an award and medal of CryoFellow just over a decade ago in recognition of members of the society and individuals from the cryobiology community at large who have had an outstanding impact on the field.

CryoFellows are awarded this prestigious status in recognition of: scientific impact of their research on cryobiology (50%); sustained nature of that impact (20%); generation of scientific offspring (20%); and service to the Society (10%).

There is no formal application form on which to make the nomination, but the documents you provide the committee should be of sufficient depth to support the candidate's contributions to the categories mentioned above in a clear and demonstrable way. Usually this will mean inclusion with the nomination:

(1) Supporting letters from members of the Society or other major contributors to cryobiology (including one from the nominator); and 

(2) a detailed resume for the nominee. I suggest you contact the proposed CryoFellow to discuss their nomination before proceeding and to obtain the resume from the nominee.

Please note the nominated individual must be living at the time that he or she is nominated.

If there is someone you would like to nominate, or you would like to have an informal discussion before proceeding with nomination, please email me at [email protected]. 

ISBER Best Practices Fourth Edition Launch

The International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) is pleased to announce the release of the ISBER Best Practices, Fourth Edition.

Cryobiology and Biobanking Symposium in Tehran

The Royan Institute is a non-profit research institute for reproductive biomedicine and infertility treatments in Tehran, Iran. On February 14, 2018 they are holding their second Cryobiology and Biobanking Symposium. 

Dr. Jason Acker, immediate Past President of the Society for Cryobiology will be speaking, along with a number of local cryobiology and biobanking experts.  

For more information please contact: 

Vahid Asgari, PhD
Intl' Business Affairs
Consultant and Instructor
[email protected]
+98-9123007955