Development Of Microfluidic Based Low Cost Industrial Cryo-Ready Devices For Preservation Of Living Cells

Project Information

MCRD

Grant agreement ID: 841922

DOI

10.3030/841922

Project closed

EC signature date 5 April 2019

Start date 1 March 2020

End date 30 September 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 196 707,84

EU contribution

€ 196 707,84

Coordinated by

EDEN TECH
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MCRD (Development Of Microfluidic Based Low Cost Industrial Cryo-Ready Devices For Preservation Of Living Cells)

Reporting period: 2020-03-01 to 2022-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The increased demand for cell therapy products requires that the World Health Organisation issue new regulations for the clinical storage and applications of these developed products. An immediate need is to create research and infrastructure for the long-time storage of the products. Current processes such as cryopreservation, lyophilisation and desiccation are highly toxic for cell viability. The EU-funded MCRD project is proposing a collaboration with French company Eden Tech to develop a microfluidic-based cryo-ready device for plug-and-play type biological cell sample storage and testing. The novel product will pave the way for further advanced studies into physical biology.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project developed a new cryopreservation system using peltier units, capable of reaching required temperatures for cryopreservation of microfluidic units uniformely and at low energy costs. The system was first designed and computationally validated, before being built. The prototype demonstrated some variation to the computational results, probably due to the poor-cooling system of the peltier units. Cells were frozen effectively with the unit

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The prototype demonstrate a compact, portable, low-energy cryopreservation system, free from liquid nitrogen requirements. The system performed adequately, but highlighted the need for a more efficient cooling approach for the Peltier units. The cryopreservation system is ideal for freezing microfluidic systems and is currently being considered for freezing of microfluidic organoid bioreactors. The unit is central for the development of microfluidic bioreactors and microfluidic cell culture, as a required step for transfer of materials.

prototype