Cryopreservation: How Medicine Has Been Affected So Far

The field of medicine has come a long way since its inception. 

With the discovery of cryopreservation, it has taken a huge leap forward in the field of medicine. It is a technique used to preserve cells and tissues by storing them at low temperatures. It is also known as cryodesiccation. 

But how has the technique affected medicine?

It Has Enhanced Treatment Options

In cases where there are cancer patients or those with genetic deformities, cryogenic freezing of the cells improves the treatment options. The vitrified ice-like materials used to freeze the cells contain viruses and bacteria that can no longer be transferred into other tissues, tissues that could have been used to transfer them.

Helps for Saving Cryostorage in Cases of Non-Compliance

It may be very hard to prove whether or not a person has been declared legally dead or has simply ignored the procedures involved in being declared legally dead. There are cases where people have failed to comply with legal requirements, and attempts to revive them have failed, as they didn’t remain in the cryogenic chambers long enough. 

However, if someone fails to comply with the frozen storage requirements and they are later revived, it can be difficult to prove that they were still alive due to the lack of physical evidence on their body or tissue. Using cryogenic freezers helps keep the evidence.

Advances in Human Reproductive Technology

Since cryopreservation was introduced, many advancements have been made in the human reproductive technology field. It can be used for preserving ovum (egg cells) and embryos before they undergo fertilization procedures such as IVF or ICSI or before a woman undergoes natural onset menopause (postmenopausal women). 

In cases where egg freezing was used for future use of eggs for surrogacy purposes, it has also become easier as there aren’t as many risks associated with it.

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Organ Cryopreservation for Transplantation

Cryopreservation has helped in saving organs that are being tested and found to be compatible with recipients. In this procedure, the recipient’s immune system is injected with immunodeficiency viruses that cause a person’s body to reject the organ. When one dies, the organs are taken out and stored at low temperatures until they are ready to be placed in the recipient.

It Keeps People in Suspended Animation

Many medical emergencies (such as cardiac arrest) can cause the heart to stop for a short period. Preservation techniques allow for bodies to be frozen in suspended animation. If a person’s heart goes into cardiac arrest, the body might resume beating when it is thawed again. If a person is cryogenically frozen and then thawed out before they die, they might wake up again. All this is under research. 

It has a Great Potential for Growth

Cryogenics can stretch into many fields and offer many research opportunities. One of the fields quickly growing is gene therapy. Gene therapy can help cure diseases like cancer by inducing the production of new cells to replace diseased ones. It is hugely connected to cryogenics as it demands optimal temperature storage. 

Conclusion

Cryopreservation is a very interesting science. It is used to preserve cells and tissues in their natural form. This method has been used for preserving human embryos, cancer cells, and sperm samples. It has helped medicine greatly by enabling doctors to store tissue samples taken from patients for further study.