Combinatorial biomaterials discovery strategy to identify new macromolecular cryoprotectants

Cryoprotective agents (CPAs) are typically solvents or small molecules, but there is a need for innovative CPAs to reduce toxicity and increase cell yield, for the banking and transport of cells. Here we use a photochemical high-throughput discovery platform to identify macromolecular cryoprotectants, as rational design approaches are currently limited by the lack of structure–property relationships. Using liquid handling systems, 120 unique polyampholytes were synthesized using photopolymerization with RAFT agents. Cryopreservation screening identified “hit” polymers and nonlinear trends between composition and function, highlighting the requirement for screening, with polymer aggregation being a key factor. The most active polymers reduced the volume of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) required to cryopreserve a nucleated cell line, demonstrating the potential of this approach to identify materials for cell storage and transport

Vitreous levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in eyes with anterior hyaloidal fibrovascular proliferation

Takaki Kobayashi, Shigeki Machida, Takamitsu Fujiwara, Tadashi Ishibe, Daijiro KurosakaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Iwate, JapanPurpose: To determine the intravitreal levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in eyes with anterior hyaloidal fibrovascular proliferation (AHFVP).Methods: Three eyes of three patients who underwent vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and subsequently developed an AHFVP (AHFVP group) were studied. We measured the level of VEGF in vitreous samples collected at the primary and following operations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The vitreous levels of VEGF in 25 eyes of 22 patients with PDR were also studied as controls (PDR group).Results: The averaged VEGF level in the samples collected at the primary surgery was 1.98 ± 2.23 ng/mL in the PDR group, and it was 9.07, 1.94, and 8.07 ng/mL in the AHFVP cases. After the primary surgery, the VEGF level rose up to 49.50, 15.60, and 50.60 ng/mL at the subsequent surgeries for respective cases of the AHFVP group. These levels of VEGF were more than five times higher than the baseline at the primary surgery.Conclusion: The subsequent increase of the VEGF level after the primary surgery in eyes with an AHFVP suggests that the vitreous levels of VEGF are associated with the development of the AHFVP although only three eyes were studied.Keywords: VEGF, AHFVP, diabetic retinopath