BOTHELL, Wash., Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BioLife Solutions, Inc. (OTCBB: BLFS), a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of proprietary hypothermic storage and cryopreservation freeze media for cells and tissues, today announced that several groups of independent researchers have reported superior biopreservation efficacy using the Company's proprietary cGMP grade HypoThermosol storage/shipping medium and CryoStor cryopreservation freeze media.

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Mike Rice, BioLife Chief Executive Officer, remarked on the growing body of evidence supporting broader adoption of the Company's products by stating, "We're very pleased to see additional independent research published on the unique advantages of our proprietary biopreservation media products. Our novel, engineered products are serum-free, protein-free, fully defined, and formulated to reduce preservation-induced cell damage and death.  With more than 300 customers, it's clear that we have successfully transitioned from early adoption to much broader preference and utilization of HypoThermosol and CryoStor."

The new journal articles include:

• Evaluation of Bone Marrow-Derived MSC after Cryopreservation and Hypothermic Storage in Clinically Safe Medium, by researchers at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Cell Therapy Lab, in Tissue Engineering, Part C: Methods.
  • About 95% of frozen cells were recovered as live cells after freezing in CryoStor solutions with 5% and 10% DMSO followed by storage in liquid nitrogen for 1 month 
  • Hypothermic storage for 2 and 4 days resulted in about 100% and 85% cell recovery respectively, less than 10% of apoptotic cells, and normal proliferation, marker expression, and osteogenic potential
  • Results demonstrate that human MSC could be successfully cryopreserved for banking and clinical applications and delivered to the bedside in clinically safe protective reagents
• Hypothermic storage of isolated human hepatocytes: a comparison between University of Wisconsin solution and a hypothermosol platform, in Archives of Toxicology.
  • Cell viability, energy status, and xenobiotic metabolism following cold preservation in HypoThermosol was consistently and, in some cases, markedly higher when compared with other systems
  • Moreover, the use of HypoThermosol eliminates the need for serum in preservation solutions
  • HypoThermosol represents an improved solution compared to UW for extending the shipping/storage time of human hepatocytes

Additional published data by customers, which cite the use of BioLife include:

• A double-blind, randomized, controlled, multicenter study to assess the safety and cardiovascular effects of skeletal myoblast implantation by catheter delivery in patients with chronic heart failure after myocardial infarction, by the Duke Clinical Research Institute and several other centers, in the American Heart Journal.
• Interim analysis results from the RESTORE-CLI, a randomized, double-blind multicenter phase II trial comparing expanded autologous and placebo in patients with critical limb ischemia, in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.
• Juvenile Chondrocytes May Facilitate Disc Repair, in The Open Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Journal.

An expanded bibliography of articles, posters, and abstracts citing applications and benefits of CryoStor and HypoThermosol can be found on BioLife's website.

BioLife Solutions will be exhibiting and presenting at the Phacilitate Cell & Gene Therapy Forum 2012, January 30th – February 1st in Washington, DC.

About BioLife Solutions
BioLife Solutions develops, manufactures and markets patented hypothermic storage and cryopreservation solutions for cells, tissues, and organs.  The Company's proprietary HypoThermosol® and CryoStor® platform of solutions are marketed to academic and commercial organizations involved in cell therapy, tissue engineering, cord blood banking, drug discovery, and toxicology testing. BioLife's products are serum-free and protein-free, fully defined, and are formulated to reduce preservation-induced, delayed-onset cell damage and death.  BioLife's enabling technology provides academic and clinical researchers significant improvements in post-thaw cell, tissue, and organ viability and function.  For more information please visit www.biolifesolutions.com, and follow BioLife on Twitter.

This news release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These forward-looking statements include any statements that relate to the intent, belief, plans or expectations of the Company or its management, or that are not a statement of historical fact.  Any forward-looking statements in this news release are based on current expectations and beliefs and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Some of the specific factors that could cause BioLife Solutions' actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  BioLife Solutions disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release. 

SOURCE BioLife Solutions, Inc.