Scientific Status and Needs of Cryopreservation and Other Long-Term Preservation Approaches for Animal Models in Biomedical Research

Session III: Cryoresearch: Supporting Technology and Resources

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. EDT
September 30, 2024 (Monday)

Chair
Robyn Tanguay, Ph.D., Oregon State University

Agenda

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Opening Remarks
Franziska Grieder, D.V.M., Ph.D., Director, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Monika Aggarwal, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator, Program Officer, ORIP and Yong Chen, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator, Program Officer, ORIP

Robyn Tanguay, Ph.D., Oregon State University

Session I

11:15 a.m. – 12:40 a.m.

Technological Advancements and Physical Infrastructure in Cryobiology
Moderator: Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., Senior Scientific Advisor to the Director, Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (DGCG), National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Keynote Presentation: Mehmet Toner, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School
Technological advances in cryobiology

Wah Chiu, Ph.D., Stanford University
Challenges in cryogenic preservation of macromolecules, cells, and tissues for CryoEM and CryoET structural investigations

Adam Higgins, Ph.D., Oregon State University
Discovery of new cryoprotective agents for improved cryopreservation

Xu Han, Ph.D., CryoCrate Life in Nano Ice
Life in Nano Ice®: Achieving Biocompatible Cell and Tissue Cryopreservation Through Nanoscale Cubic Ice Formation and Molecular Assembly Technologies

12:40 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch Break

Session II

1:00 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.	Enabling Technologies, Best Practices, and Resource Management Moderator: Xu Han, Ph.D., CryoCrate Life in Nano Ice Keynote Presentation: Yoed Rabin, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University Enabling Technology for Low-Temperature Preservation: From Underlying Principles to Unmet Needs Michael Sheldon, Ph.D., Senior Director of Scientific Affairs at Sampled The Importance of Keeping Your Cool: State-of-the-Art Biorepositories Play an Essential Role in Safeguarding and Disseminating Cryopreserved Biomaterials Xiaoming "Shawn" He, Ph.D., University of Maryland An automatic ice-seeding cryovial (aiCryovial) for enhanced and convenient cell and tissue cryopreservation
2:05 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.	Break
2:10 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.	Group Discussion Moderator: Robyn Tanguay, Ph.D., Oregon State University Panelists: All committee members and speakers Questions: Questions for group discussion
2:55 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Concluding Remarks Xiang-Ning Li, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Division of Construction and Instruments, ORIP, NIH

Organization Committee for Session III

Monika Aggarwal, Ph.D., ORIP, NIH, monika.aggarwal@nih.gov

Yong Chen, Ph.D., ORIP, NIH, Yong.chen@nih.gov

Wah Chiu, Ph.D., Stanford University, wahc@stanford.edu

Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., Senior Scientific Advisor to the Director, DGCG, NIA, rosaly.correa-de-araujo@nih.gov

Xu Han, Ph.D., CryoCrate Life in Nano Ice, xu.han@cryocrate.com

Xiaoming "Shawn" He, Ph.D., Maryland Robotics Center and Brain and Behavior Institute, shawnhe@umd.edu

Adam Higgins, Ph.D., Oregon State University, adam.higgins@oregonstate.edu

Oleg Mirochnitchenko, Ph.D., ORIP, NIH, oleg.mirochnitchenko@nih.gov

Henrike Nelson, M.S., ORIP, NIH, henrike.nelson@nih.gov

Yoed Rabin, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, rabin@cmu.edu

Michael Sheldon, Ph.D., Senior Director of Scientific Affairs, Sampled, Michael.Sheldon@sampled.com

Robyn Tanguay, Ph.D., Oregon State University, Robyn.Tanguay@oregonstate.edu (Chair of the Organizing Committee)

Mehmet Toner, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, toner@helix.mgh.harvard.edu

Sige Zou, Ph.D., ORIP, NIH, sige.zou@nih.gov

Biosketches

Dr. Robyn Leigh Tanguay holds the title of University Distinguished Professor within the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University. Additionally, she serves as the Director of the Superfund Research Center and the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory at the same institution. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Cal State University-San Bernardino, a Doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of California-Riverside, and postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Dr. Tanguay has published more than 300 peer-reviewed journals, firmly establishing her as a leading authority in her field. Her work has not only received widespread recognition but has also played a pivotal role in shaping policies related to chemical safety and environmental protection.

Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, MD, MSc, PhD, is a Senior Scientific Advisor at the National Institute on Aging's Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology. She oversees the AgingResearchBiobank scientific and business operations including compliance with NIH data sharing policy and facilitates access to the Biobank’s study collections by the national and international scientific communities. She is a cardiovascular pathologist trained at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Her degrees are from the Federal University of Bahia School of Medicine and the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine, in Brazil. She has a special training on Evidence-Based Clinical Practice from McMaster University, Canada and numerous years of academic experience as Adjunct Associate Professor, George Washington University's School of Medicine and Health Sciences; Clinical Assistant Professor (Geriatrics Pharmacotherapy), University of Maryland's School of Pharmacy Experiential Learning Program; Assistant Professor, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine, Brazil; and Chairman and Associate Professor of the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine and Chief of the Autopsy Section at the University Hospital, Federal University of Uberaba School of Medicine, Brazil. She has served in diverse positions in several components of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the Office of the Secretary where she led a major Secretarial/Presidential initiative on global health specifically targeting health diplomacy in the Western Hemisphere, served as the Secretary's Delegate to the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission, and Deputy Director for the former Office on Disability. As former Director of Women's Health and Gender-based Research in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, she received numerous awards including AHRQ Director's Award of Excellence for revitalizing the women's health program and introducing gender-based medicine concept to women's health and health services research. She has numerous scientific publications including chapters in medical books on various topics. Areas of expertise and interest include skeletal muscle function deficit/loss of muscle mass, strength and function with aging, myosteatosis, multimorbidity, medication management, ethnogeriatrics, and older women's health. She has served as expert in scientific panels of the United Nations’ Aging Agenda and the World Health Organization initiative on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) and the WHO Clinical Consortium on Health Aging.

Mehmet Toner holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Istanbul Technical University and a Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both in Mechanical Engineering. He earned his PhD in Medical Engineering from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST). Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, with a joint appointment as a Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at HST. Dr. Toner is a member of the Senior Scientific Staff at Shriners Hospital for Children and co-founder of the Center for Engineering in Medicine & Surgery. He founded the NIH BioMicroElectroMechanical Systems (BioMEMS) Resource Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and directs the Biomedical Engineering Research and Education Program for physicians there. He actively participates in numerous national and international professional committees and serves on the editorial boards of various scientific journals. In 1998, Dr. Toner was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. He also serves on the scientific advisory boards of multiple biotechnology and medical device companies and has played a key role as a scientific founder of several startups.

Wah Chiu Dr. Wah Chiu earned his Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1975, where he also completed his B.A. in Physics in 1969. He is a recognized pioneer in cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), known for his transformative contributions to the development of single particle cryo-EM for determining the structures of molecular machines at atomic resolution. His lab has successfully solved numerous cryo-EM structures, including those of viruses, chaperonins, membrane proteins, ion channels, antigen-antibody complexes, and protein-RNA complexes, collaborating with scientists worldwide. Dr. Chiu continues to establish high standards for testing and characterizing cryo-EM instrumentation, while innovating new image processing and modeling algorithms for structure determination. His current research focuses on advancing cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) to achieve near atomic resolution structures of molecular complexes in situ. In addition to his academic roles, Dr. Chiu serves as the Director of the Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a position he has held since 2018. His accolades include the M.J. Buerger Award from the American Crystallographic Association (2021), the inaugural Wallenberg-Bienenstock Professorship at Stanford University (2020), and election to the United States National Academy of Sciences (2012). Dr. Chiu is actively involved in the scientific community, serving on various boards and advisory committees. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee for the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) and has been on the Scientific Advisory Board for the RCSB Protein Data Bank since 2005.

Adam Higgins is a Professor of Bioengineering at Oregon State University. His primary research focus is cell, tissue, and organ preservation. He has over 20 years of experience in the field, and his work has resulted in over 40 publications, including an article that was highlighted on the cover of Biophysical Journal and an article that was selected as the 2018 best paper in the Cryobiology Journal. He has held various leadership positions, including service as the president of the Society for Cryobiology (2020-2021).

Xu Han: As a cryobiologist, Dr. Han has been recognized as a Top Reviewer for the journal of Cryobiology, the official journal of the Society for Cryobiology, and has contributed as a reviewer for 27 NIH study section panels. In his role as an Assistant Professor at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, his research focuses on advancing tissue engineering. As an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Missouri, his work is dedicated to promoting innovations in tissue transplantation. He is also the founder and CTO of CryoCrate LLC, an NIH Innovation Showcase Company. The CryoCrate team, along with their co-developers or collaborators, has received support from ORIP, NIAID, NCI, NEI, NIA, and various other funding agencies and foundations, for their pioneering work in developing an efficient biocompatible cell and tissue cryopreservation technology platform. This recognition highlights his contributions to both scientific innovation and entrepreneurship.

Yoed Rabin is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his BSc (1989) and MSc (1991) from Ben Gurion University in Israel, and DSc (1994) from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (IIT). Previously, Dr. Rabin held primary academic positions at the Division of Surgical Oncology (1994-1996) and the Department of Human Oncology (1996-1998) at the Allegheny University of the Health Sciences in affiliation with Hahnemann University Hospital, and with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion, IIT (1997-2000). Dr. Rabin has been affiliated with 16 industrial companies over the years, working on a wide range of thermal engineering and biothermal technology applications. He has a broad range of research interests in areas of energy modalities in biology and medicine, including cryopreservation, cryosurgery, thermal ablation, thermal regulation of the human body, blood flow, and medical imaging.

Michael Sheldon received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1983 and a Ph.D. from SUNY at Stony Brook in 1993. He served on the faculties of Rutgers University and the Baylor College of Medicine with a background as a bench scientist in Genetics and Neurodevelopment. In the course of his nearly 30 years of experience, he has served in a number of roles in the biobanking and integrated analytics fields. Dr. Sheldon founded the SAMPLED Scientific Affairs department with the mission to provide expert technical resources to clients, discovery and adoption of new technologies and the coordination of outreach initiatives designed to enhance the profile of the company. Previously, he served as Senior Director of Sample Processing Services at RUCDR Infinite Biologics (now SAMPLED), with oversight of all sample processing services relating to blood fractionation, cell and stem cell culture and nucleic acid extraction. He was Director of the team that established the SAMPLED SARS-CoV2 testing lab, serving the states of New Jersey and Minnesota as well as many sites across the United States. To date, SAMPLED has tested over 12 million samples. He is also Director of the SAMPLED College of American Pathologists (CAP) Biorepository and a certified CAP Inspection Team Leader.

Dr. Xiaoming (Shawn) He is a Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2004 from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and conducted postdoctoral training from 2004-2007 at Harvard Medical School-Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. He was an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina, and Associate Professor and Full Professor at the Ohio State University from 2011-2017. His current research is focused on developing micro and nanoscale biomaterials and devices to engineer, bank, and deliver stem and immune cells for the treatment and early detection of various diseases including but not limited to cancer, infertility, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neurological disorders. His research has been funded by grants with him as the PI from various private foundations (e.g., the American Cancer Society) and government agencies (e.g., NSF and NIH). He has published ~150 peer-reviewed articles in high-ranking journals including Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Nanotechnology, and Nature Communications, in addition to one book and four book chapters. He is an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medical Devices. He is a fellow of the ASME and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.