# Cryopreservation and cell-therapy cold chain

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/cell-therapy-cold-chain/  
OnCo record `cell-therapy-cold-chain` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Freezing cells at minus 150 degrees and shipping them in liquid-nitrogen 'dry shippers' with tracking, so a living drug arrives alive and matched to the right patient.

## Summary

Cryoport, BioLife Solutions (CryoStor media, evo shippers), Cryoport's CRYOPDP, World Courier (Cencora), and Marken (UPS) provide validated cryogenic logistics with temperature and location telemetry; chain-of-identity and chain-of-custody software (Vineti, TrakCel, Ori, Kite's Konnect) links apheresis, manufacturing, and infusion. Failures here are rare but catastrophic for an individualised product.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: established
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Tags: supporting
- Principle: Controlled-rate freezing in DMSO-based media, storage below -150°C in vapour-phase nitrogen, and GPS/temperature-logged dry shippers with digital identity verification at each hand-off.
- Strengths: Enables centralised manufacturing across continents; Full audit trail
- Limitations: Cost per shipment; Cryo-injury reduces viability; Dependence on a few specialist couriers

## Sources

- FDA guidance: considerations for the development of CAR T cell products: https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/considerations-development-chimeric-antigen-receptor-car-t-cell-products

## Connected records

- fronts: [Cell Therapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/cell-therapy/)
- technologies: [Allogeneic (off-the-shelf) cell therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/allogeneic-cell-therapy/), [Allogeneic cell banks: one donor, hundreds of doses](https://onco.cc/technologies/allogeneic-cell-banks/), [Allogeneic donor and iPSC master cell banks](https://onco.cc/technologies/allogeneic-cell-banking/), [Apheresis and starting-material collection](https://onco.cc/technologies/apheresis-starting-material/), [Autologous CAR-T manufacturing, batch by batch](https://onco.cc/technologies/car-t-manufacturing-process/), [Autologous stem cell transplant (high-dose therapy)](https://onco.cc/technologies/autologous-stem-cell-transplant/), [CAR-T cell therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/car-t/), [Cell-therapy orchestration and chain-of-identity software](https://onco.cc/technologies/cell-therapy-orchestration-software/), [mRNA and lipid nanoparticle manufacturing](https://onco.cc/technologies/mrna-lnp-manufacturing/), [NK cell therapy and CAR-NK](https://onco.cc/technologies/nk-cell-therapy/), [TCR-T cell therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/tcr-t/), [TIL therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/til-therapy/)
- companies: [BioLife Solutions](https://onco.cc/companies/biolife-solutions/), [Cryoport](https://onco.cc/companies/cryoport/)

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