Application of Hydrogel Matrices in Hypothermic and Cryogenic Storage of Cells and Tissues
September 28th 2023

9AM US/Pacific | 12PM US/Eastern | 5PM United Kingdom | 6PM Central Europe | 8PM Gulf Standard | 12AM China Standard (next day) 

Co-Chair: Dr. Lindong Weng, Novo Nordisk, USA
Co-Chair: Dr. Dani Ballesteros, University of Valencia, Spain 

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Atelerix: A Novel Solution for Hypothermic Cell, Tissue and Virus Preservation 

Dr. Steven Swioklo Co-Founder & CSO, Atelerix Ltd., UK
LINKEDIN  |  YOUTUBE  |  https://www.atelerix.co.uk

Cells, tissues and viruses have a finite lifespan outside the closely regulated environment of the body or culture incubator. In order to effectively distribute samples between research, drug discovery, or clinical sites, samples can either be shipped fresh (at hypothermic temperatures) or frozen. Whilst freezing samples has the advantage of long-term storage, it is not suitable for cryo-sensitive cell populations, can be difficult to optimise for tissues and complex multicellular models, and can add logistical complications. This presentation will discuss the use of Atelerix’s technology to extend the shelf life of fresh biological samples and describe case studies across multiple sectors from drug discovery to cell-based therapy where it has been successfully implemented to increase geographical reach and improve flexibility.

Biography Steve Swioklo is CSO and Co-founder of Atelerix Ltd., a biotech company specialising in cell preservation technologies for drug discovery and cell therapy applications. He did his PhD training at the University of Reading (Pharmacology) before conducting post-doctoral research at Newcastle University. His post-doctoral research was focused on hydrogel-encapsulation of cells and tissues for room temperature preservation which led to spinning out Atelerix in June 2017.

The Use of Alginate Matrix in Cryopreserving Plant Genetic Resources
Dr. Elena Popova, Institute of Plant Physiology of Russian Academy of Sciences
LINKED IN | RESEARCH GATE

Alginate beads inherited from the synthetic seed technology were successfully implemented for cryopreserving a wide range of plant genotypes. Various modifications of “encapsulation” appeared suitable for diverse materials including shoot tips, embryos, hairy and adventitious roots and cell cultures. Inevitably, as cryobiotechnology progressed, encapsulation was largely replaced by a droplet-vitrification, a more effective and adaptive method. The presentation will discuss the past experience and future potential of alginate gels in plant cryobiology, and their most recent implementation as a part of novel cryopreservation techniques.

Biography Elena is a cryobiologist and plant physiologist with particular interest in biodiversity conservation. Her research is focused on using in vitro and cryopreservation technologies for biobanking genetic collections of the endangered or clonally propagated plants. She has worked on plant biobanking projects at Global Crop Diversity Trust (Germany), the University of Guelph (Canada), National Agrobiodiversity Center (Republic of Korea) and other institutions developing and adapting cryopreservation protocols for various plant species.