It is now possible to build a simple container to transport cryopreserved embryos using marshmallow-like gels that can maintain low temperatures. This DIY container is enabled by the use of a macroporous silicone gel developed by scientists at Tohoku University. The Japanese researchers say that their marshmallow-like silicone gel has utility as a flexible thermal insulator as well as liquid nitrogen retention material.
Traditional containers for cryopreserved embryos are often expensive and heavy as liquid nitrogen absorbers used to keep the temperatures in the transport container below -150°C are embedded inside.
In the study published in Applied Materials Today, the novel gel was tested for its ability to retain liquid nitrogen and its properties. Researchers packed the marshmallow-like gel into a commercially available vacuum-insulated water bottle and tested its absorption of liquid nitrogen. They found that the gel was able to keep the temperature inside the container below -150 °C for 10 hours.
As a further test, the researchers placed mouse embryos in the container with the gel for nine hours and found no clear decrease in the embryos' survival rate.
Since the marshmallow-like gel showed little deterioration after exposure to the liquid nitrogen, the container can be used repeatedly, they say. The process of fabricating the marshmallow like gel is also simple and can be prepared DIY-style by users without experience in chemical synthesis.