Planer, a leading manufacturer of controlled temperature products, is proud to be helping finance a PhD student at University College London. Eva Puschmann is undertaking three years of research into novel cryopreservation methods for the bio-artificial liver project. Planer are helping to finance her PhD under the IMPACT scheme which links the best UCL research expertise with progressive science and technology companies.

Eva will be utilising, amongst other equipment, a new Planer freezer to experiment with the cryo preservation of larger volumes of liver cells. A bio-artificial liver support mechanism has long been a goal for supporting acute liver insufficiency, but a problem in translation has always been the supply of viable liver cells in sufficient quantities for clinical application. In many cases the onset of the liver failure is rapid and unpredictable and there is no time to prepare the 10-day culture, which means that a cryo-bank of the cells is a requirement.

Steve Butler, Technical Director explains some of the techniques Puschmann will be using: "Eva will be using the controlled vitrification machine – the Liquidus Tracker – in the search of a solution for cooling densely packed, large volumes of the specially treated liver cells down to cryogenic temperatures whilst avoiding ice nucleation – the principle underpinning liquidus tracking. It is hoped the machine's programmable increase in cryoprotectant concentration and linked cooling profile rates should prevent the formation of ice by maintaining the whole volume just above the liquidus curve."

Eva Puschmann is originally from Mainz, Germany but now resides in London. She brings her all-round scientific experience from exposure in academic labs including the University of Chile, the Clinical Centre Mannheim, and the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), as well as industrial labs including Boehringer Ingelheim, Orpegen Pharma and Abbott Diagnostic, giving her the skills and experience necessary to hit the ground running.

For more information on the Planer Liquidus Tracker, please visit planer.com/products/vitrification/liquidus-tracking.html or contact Planer on sales@planer.com.

Specialising in the control of temperature and other parameters Planer helps customers achieve their scientific breakthroughs in biology, medicine and industry. Planer pioneered the development and use of many controlled temperature products as well as monitoring and logging of other key lab parameters. They hold a number of patents, and have received the Queen's Award for Technology as well as awards from the DTI for Innovation and Good Practice in Microelectronics.

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This release was published on openPR.