Freezing and long-term storage of biological samples-quality requirements and technical solutions.

Damage-free freezing, cold handling and long-term storage of biological samples such as body fluids, cells and tissue are the most important factors of establishing new therapies. The fact that storage of biological samples at most low temperatures positively influences sample quality after thawing is strengthened by an increasing number of publications. Not only the storage temperature, but also the handling temperature, significantly influences the sample quality.