Vitrification

Traditional vitrification involves ultra-rapid cooling (>10,000°C/min) and stepwise exposure to high cryoprotectant concentrations to prevent ice formation. Newer protocols simplify this with a single, brief exposure (1–2 minutes), reducing equilibration steps while maintaining cell integrity.

After cryoprotectant exposure, samples are loaded onto a vitrification carrier (‘open’ or ‘closed’) and plunged into liquid nitrogen (-196°C). Open carriers allow direct contact of sample with liquid nitrogen, enabling faster cooling and warming rates and therefore enhancing survival and structural preservation.