20 years ago many drugs were small molecules – for example paracetamol. These could be formulated into tablets and stored and distributed easily. However, since then there has been a revolution in the drug industry with the emergence of biologics – therapies typically based on proteins or living cells. These have made huge impact, especially in cancer treatment, but are very expensive and harder to store. To stop them degrading, it is essential to store them cold or even frozen. This means adding a cryoprotectant (‘antifreeze’) to protect them and ensure that they remain active after thawing. The current cryoprotection methods involve adding organic solvents, but these do not give 100 % recovery, their dose needs to be controlled to minimise cytotoxicity and there are logistical challenges.
This project aims to re-think how we freeze biologics by using macromolecular cryoprotectants – large soluble macromolecules which address the mechanisms of damage, which current cryoprotectants do not. These protective effects can be achieved through a combination of controlling ice growth and/or ice formation and stabilising cell membranes. This work was initially inspired by how extremophiles in nature survive in extreme cold environments, unlike humans who mostly prefer to be nice and warm!
Progress in this area is very important for society – ensuring therapies are optimal (i.e. if you freeze 100 therapeutic cells, ideally you want to recover 100 healthy cells after) and mitigating the cost of these exciting new biologic therapeutics by addressing the challenges of the cold chain and storage.
