Biomedical

Main applications

The main Life Science applications for liquid nitrogen are:

• Cryo preservation of samples, including blood, semen, cells, tissues, heart valves and embryos for human biomedical applications such as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), blood transfusion, cancer research, stem cell storage and heart surgery
• Cryo preservation of viruses, pathogens and antibodies for research into disease and disease treatment
• Cryo preservation of semen for artificial insemination (AI), particularly cattle and horse breeding
• Cryo surgery for the treatment of skin disorders associated with dermatology clinics, chiropody, sexually transmitted diseases
  (genital warts)

In addition, CO₂ is used for the following:

• Tissue incubators which mimic the growth atmospheres found in the body

Cryopreservation

Liquid nitrogen is an ideal cryogen, and cryopreservation is a well recognised
method of keeping biological samples fresh for effectively indefinite periods.

Cryosurgery

This is generally a lower volume application compared to cryopreservation and involves using liquid nitrogen (LIN) to freeze affected tissue areas in a controlled manner. This is relatively quick and painless compared to normal surgery techniques and is used for the removal of warts and other skin-related issues in a range of dermatological applications.

LIN may be applied directly from a transfer or desk flask using a small applicator (like an enlarged cotton bud) or using specific dispensing equipment.

CO₂ Incubators

CO₂ incubators are commonly used to provide growth atmospheres for tissue cultures in a wide range of hospital and research locations. They use CO₂ to
produce anaerobic conditions and generally utilise a temperature control to produce a simulated in vivo atmosphere.

Benefits of CryoEase^® service

Cryopreservation
The only real competition to LIN in this area is electrical freezers, thus
the important benefits are:

• Supply of a wide range of LIN storage options, including static and mobile
  vessels, non-pressurised dewars, and larger vessels (1000 litres +)
• Security of supply and rapidity of response
• The ability to fill customer-owned vessels
• Safety services, such as training, Pressure Systems planned maintenance programmes
• Reduced whole life costs and complexity compared to electrical freezers
• Not susceptible to electrical outages unlike electrical freezers

Artificial Insemination
The important benefits shown above (see Cryopreservation) apply, plus:

• The ability to supply over a wide geographic area, including on-farm deliveries
• A wide supply solution from dewar to bulk

CO₂ Incubators

• No ordering – reduced administration time
• No changeover of cylinders
• No cylinder handling
• Liberation of laboratory space
• No handling of high pressure connections