[7] Cells can be stored for an extended amount of time in this state, reducing the rate of degradation of cellular material.
[9] At a freezing rate of -5 degrees Celsius per minute, significant decreases of the thawed cell culture is observed.
A common cryoprotection agent used is 10% solution of DMSO, which acts to protect the cells from the rupturing caused by ice crystals during freezing and during thawing.
[8] Rapid thaws are recommend in bringing the cells out of cryopreservation and starting up their normal metabolic processes.
[11] Currently, there are a large number of "culture collections and bioresource centers" that serve an individual part of the process of bioengineering.
Some examples of these include the World Federation for Culture Collections and the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.
[11] In January 2003, the UK Stem Cell Bank was established to serve as a central unit for specimen collection and human testing.
[13] In 1987, the World Health Organization established a reference cell bank to provide a resource for the development of vaccines and other biological medicines.