Crystallized Fetal Bovine Serum With Agmatine for Cold-Chain-Free Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bovine fetal serum requires cold chain storage and handling, leading to contamination risks and inefficiencies, and lacks reproducibility due to lot-to-lot variability, necessitating a safer and more efficient alternative for cell culture media.
Innovation Solution
A crystallization process incorporating agmatine transforms bovine fetal serum into fine crystals, allowing storage at ambient temperatures and enabling precise dosage without refrigeration, while maintaining biological properties, and a reconstitution method to achieve identical liquid form.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bovine fetal serum is stored in liquid form, then it maintains biological activity, but it requires cold chain storage and handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies phase transition by transforming bovine fetal serum from liquid state to crystalline solid state through controlled crystallization process involving polyamines (particularly agmatine). The crystals can be stored at ambient temperature and reconstituted to liquid form when needed, eliminating cold chain requirements while preserving biological activity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes physical parameters of the serum by introducing polyamines that induce crystallization. This parameter change allows the serum to transition from a liquid requiring refrigeration to a solid crystal form stable at room temperature, while maintaining its biological functionality upon reconstitution.
2Ease of operation
If bovine fetal serum is thawed and aliquots are extracted for use, then it can be used in cell culture, but contamination risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The serum is pre-crystallized and sterilized before use. The crystallization process itself acts as a preliminary action that concentrates the serum in a stable, sterile solid form. Users can directly dissolve crystals in sterile media without thawing operations, eliminating contamination risks associated with repeated freezing-thawing cycles and aliquot handling.
3Productivity
If conventional liquid bovine fetal serum is used, then cellular growth is supported, but lot-to-lot variability affects reproducibility
Solution Approach 1:
The crystallization process creates a standardized, reproducible solid form of serum that can be precisely dosed. Each crystal batch represents a standardized copy of the serum composition, eliminating lot-to-lot variability. The crystals can be reconstituted to identical concentrations, ensuring reproducibility across different experiments and laboratories.
4Ease of operation
If serum is stored in liquid form, then it is ready for use, but storage space and refrigeration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By transitioning serum from liquid to crystalline solid phase, the invention enables compact storage at ambient temperature. The crystals occupy significantly less storage space compared to liquid serum requiring refrigeration, while maintaining readiness for use through simple dissolution in culture media.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The crystallized serum provides enhanced cellular productivity, reduced contamination risks, and improved reproducibility, with extended shelf life and efficient handling, suitable for pharmaceutical and vaccine production.
Implementation Method 1
The present invention relates to a crystallization and reconstitution process for a supplement intended for use in cell culture media... A crystallization process incorporating agmatine transforms bovine fetal serum into fine crystals
Implementation Method 2
as well as an appropriate method of reconstitution into liquid form for specific use without loss of the original properties
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for obtaining crystallised foetal bovine serum by adding agmatine that, at a specific concentration, acts to increase cell production and increase protein expression per cell. The method further relates to the specific form of reconstitution to liquid indicated in order to use same, without losing the original properties, allowing storage without an ultra-cold chain and reducing the risks of contamination, thereby allowing precise dosing of the amount to be used.