Cryoport expands the user base of its cryogenic shipping services

In quick succession, Cryoport, Inc. (Lake Forest, CA), which pioneered the use of liquid nitrogen in reusable containers for cold-chain shipping of pharma products and clinical supplies, has announced three client wins and a technology upgrade. The upgrade—a tamper-resistant lock to meet international shipping requirements for animal husbandry (e.g., animal semen)—isn’t exactly a priority for pharma researchers, but does demonstrate the company’s capability to handle frozen, living tissues. Overall, the company is bidding to join into the movement toward regenerative medicine, including stem cells, regenerated tissues and the like, which could become a key market for healthcare.

In the meantime, the client wins include Capricor (Los Angeles), a clinical-stage biotech developing cardiovascular therapies based on donor heart tissue; Roslyn Cells (Edinburgh, Scotland), which is developing “reprogrammed” induced-pluripotent stem cells (and is a contractor to the European Bank for induced Stem Cells, or EBiSC); and And Combinatrix (Irvine, CA), which is commercializing a new genetic screening test, CombiPGS, for prenatal diagnosis during in-vitro fertilization.

Overall, Cryoport says that its containers and logistics services are now in use at 260 clinics in the US, and more overseas. Its Cryoport Express shipping containers can keep specimens frozen at -150°C for up to 10 days. Unlike carbon dioxide (which is regulated as a hazardous material in international trade), nitrogen is not so constrained. The company also has partnering agreements with UPS, FedEx and DHL to handle transportation.