Company Overview
PanTHERA CryoSolutions is a Canadian corporation that designs and manufactures cryopreservation solutions for cells, tissues and organs for research and clinical markets.
PanTHERA has developed a first-of-its-kind technology that improves the cryopreservation of biological material by inhibiting ice recrystallization. PanTHERA’s ice recrystallization inhibitors (IRI) are novel small carbohydrate-based compounds that can control ice crystal size and growth during the cryopreservation processing of biological samples.
IRI compounds provide several critical advantages for the protection of cell and tissue products. By reducing ice recrystallization inside and outside of the cells, they increase post thaw cell recovery and quality. The IRIs also decrease the required concentrations of conventional cryoprotective agents (CPAs) needed to achieve stable storage, reducing toxicity associated damage caused by the CPAs.
Since ice recrystallization exerts most damage during freezing and thawing (as opposed to during storage), IRIs have a significant impact on the protection of cells and tissues against the damage associated with the transient warming and thawing that can occur during normal transport and storage. Moreover, IRIs allow for higher sub-zero temperature storage conditions and reduces the need for liquid nitrogen shipping and storage containers.
As a forward-looking organization PanTHERA is constantly expanding our technology to contribute to improving cell-based research, agriculture, biodiversity conservation, aquaculture, and human medicine.
Major Developments
PanTHERA CryoSolutions is presently working with third-party companies to obtain unbiased evaluations of our product on multiple commercial-grade cell therapy applications. Preliminary results are very exciting as they clearly support the value of our technology in their cryopreservation processes. PanTHERA CryoSolutions has also recently received funding from various sources, which is a testament to the potential of the product. At present, PanTHERA is focused on expanding the scale of the manufacturing of the IRI product in a tightly controlled environment that assures us that the quality is high and consistent.
Upcoming Events
PanTHERA’s CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Jason Acker will be speaking at the ISBER annual meeting in Seattle on the advances in the low temperature stabilization of cells and tissues from May 3rd to May 5th. The ISBER annual meeting has been the premier event in biobanking education for over 20 years and is the only global event in biobanking. Year after year, ISBER brings together new and returning biobankers from 6 continents, providing opportunities for academia, industry, and pharma to learn, connect, discuss, and collaborate.
Dr. Jason Acker will also be speaking at the 5th Allogenic Cell Summit held in Boston, MA from May 22-25, 2023. This event will see the gathering of brilliant minds from all over the globe and Dr. Acker will be speaking on enhancing the cryopreservation of NK cells to drive the development of next generation products. He will also participate in a panel discussion. This summit is the leading industry focused meeting dedicated to accelerating the safety, durability, and clinical translation of off-the-shelf therapies to deliver affordable and accessible treatments for patients in critical need.
Overcoming Challenges
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, PanTHERA CryoSolutions grew its team and delivered on an ambitious produce development program despite its offices being in two different provinces (Ontario and Alberta).
One of the major milestones that the company has achieved, is to have put together a pool of talented individuals poised to bring the company to greater heights. The success of the IRIs is attributed to the diverse team that PanTHERA CryoSolutions has assembled. Research has shown that diverse teams are known to process facts more carefully, improving decision-making processes and increasing employee engagement. Headed by renowned cryobiologist Dr. Jason Acker and medicinal chemist Dr. Robert Ben, PanTHERA CryoSolutions boasts diverse talent, from chemists working with biologists and immunologists to analytical chemistry and quality control experts. The diverse team has a unique mix of various nationalities, ample gender representation and multiple disciplines. Enriching the employee pool with adequate representation is the key to boosting joint intellectual potential.
To learn more about PanTHERA CryoSolutions, check out their website at pantheracryo.com.
