Ice Recrystallization Inhibitors as a Glycerol Replacement in Red Blood Cell Cryopreservation

Blood transfusion is a lifesaving treatment for patients who lack sufficient quantities of healthy blood, and therefore, there is a significant demand for readily accessible, viable and functional red blood cell (RBC) units. Cryopreservation (< -80 ˚C) of RBCs can extend the storage time of donated blood from months to years; however, current cryopreservation protocols utilize glycerol as a cryoprotective agent (CPA), thus necessitating a time-consuming deglycerolization process in order to prevent intravascular hemolysis. While glycerol is necessary to maintain viability and recovery of stored RBCs, the time consuming deglycerolization process makes cryopreserved blood products unsuitable for routine use in clinical settings or in emergency medicine.

Our laboratory has reported that ice recrystallization inhibitors (IRIs) can effectively cryopreserve RBCs using reduced glycerol concentrations. These IRIs mitigate mechanical damage inflicted upon RBCs by controlling ice crystal growth. The objective of the proposed research is to study the cryopreservation potential of novel ammonium-based IRI molecules in RBCs and their potential to act as a glycerol replacement and/or cryoadditive. This research aims to provide methods to improve the current blood supply chain model by decreasing the required glycerol concentration, thus making cryopreserved blood more feasible in clinical settings.

BEN, Robert

University of Ottawa

Graduate Fellowship Program

Ontario

$70,000