CryoDynaMo: An agent based approach to modelling cryopreservation

The cryogenic freezing of cells and tissues represents an exciting prospect for the advancement of biomedical research as well as the reduction of transplant waiting lists. It would allow for biological materials to be stored for longer with a minimal reduction in viability. Currently however, the cryopreservation of cells and tissue in vitro is challenging above the 1-3mm length scale. Notably, different cell types and tissues require a right combination of cooling rate, cryo-protective agents at different concentrations, and thawing trajectories, to prevent cell damage.

In this talk, I will describe CryoDynaMo, a modelling software assisting in the optimisation of the in vitro cryopreservation protocols. It is built as an extension of the BioDynaMo framework, a general platform for simulating biological systems (e.g. neuronal tissue growth and cancer dynamics). CryoDynaMo models the cellular osmotic kinematics and extracellular environment, and can be used to predict intracellular ice formation and the cell osmotic response. In addition to presenting my own work, I will also discuss the overall scope of cryogenics, and the role of computational science within it.