Conventional cryopreservation of three-dimensional tissue constructs can have several problems: 

1. They can suffer damage from tensional stresses experienced during expansion and contractions that occur during freezing and thawing.
2. Uneven physical changes within the tissue during cooling or warming can damage the tissue. 
3. Conventional cryopreservation media can be toxic to the tissues in a non-frozen state and can render the tissues not suitable for later recovery, culturing, and transplantation in engineered cell and other tissue therapies, and
4. The sterility of the tissue during the thawing process is usually compromised.

To combat these issues, NIH inventors have developed a closed recovery device consisting of three chambers that allow for the separation of media and frozen tissue until it is time to defrost. The top portion is a media chamber controlled by a valve/lumen, the middle chamber houses the frozen tissue, and the bottom chamber is a waste receptacle. The recovery device can be placed in a regulator apparatus that facilitates thawing and warming of the frozen tissue/cryopreservation media inside the tissue container.
 

Commercial applications of this device include:

• Transport, storage, and recovery of cells and tissues for in-vitro culture
• In-vivo experiments including cell therapy transplantation

If you are interested in licensing or collaborating with the inventors on this technology, you can find more information on the abstract: Devices for Improved Tissue Cryopreservation and Recovery