Long-term experience with operation of a cryobank based on combination of cryogenic and clean-room technology.

The modern cryobank equipped with large liquid nitrogen (LN2) containers for long term storage of human cells and tissues for clinical application and programmable freezers for controlled rate freezing of cells and tissues prior to storage was opened in the University Hospital Hradec Králové in 2003. The programmable freezer is placed in the clean room of the class C, the processing of cells and tissues itself is made in the clean room of the class A with the background of the class B. Since the beginning of the operation of the cryobank the authors have solved important issues such as efficient ventilation of its premises, prevention of the secondary contamination during processing and of cross contamination during storage of cells and tissues and control of the purity of the environment in the laboratories used for processing and cryopreservation of cells and tissues as required by the European Union Directives and harmonized national legal norms of the Czech Republic. For a long time the cryobank served as support of haematology-oncology transplantation programme established already in 1989. Since 2013 the new programme of cryopreservation of vascular grafts for clinical transplantation has been in function.