Preservation Strategies for Viable Musculoskeletal Allografts

The shortage of suitable donor grafts from the knee and temporomandibular joints (TMJ) impedes treatments for millions of patients. Currently, to address this need, fresh-frozen and cryopreserved allographs are used as valuable alternatives for transplantation when fresh donor grafts are unavailable. While these grafts provided essential support for patients with immediate need, long-term clinical outcomes still present a challenge. In specific, the formation and growth of ice crystal formation during fresh-freezing and conventional cryopreservation processes result in substantial cell loss.  This leads to limitations in preserving viable cells and overall unfavorable long-term outcomes.  Clemson researchers have pioneered the development of vitreous grafts for knee menisci, osteochondral allografts, and TMJ discs.  This novel method applies vitrification for the first time in these tissue types in order to preserve viable allografts for long-term storage.  Furthermore, each step of the vitrification process is optimized to develop the ideal preservation protocol for each specific tissue type.