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Theory. Practice. Progress
At 21CM, we take our science seriously. We practice it, we preach it, and we teach it -- because our clients deserve the best that modern biomedical research has to offer. And—ultimately—so do patients who deserve the best in advanced care.
The Benefits of Dedication
A driving passion to find, develop, and implement innovative new bio preservation technologies that move the life sciences toward the goal of better patient care rests at the heart and soul of 21CM. That’s why we’re committed to providing services based on the finest science and technology in the industry. We believe that the only way to effectively deliver on the promise of these emerging technologies is by practicing high science, working with other experts, and serving our clients well.
Our reputation as an emerging leader in living systems preservation technology has attracted a scientific and medical professional staff composed of thought-leaders who are at the forefront of developing and delivering preservation solutions. It has also allowed us to develop productive research collaborations with experts in other specialized areas for the ultimate benefit of our clients.
Results-driven for Clients and Investors
We take great responsibility to deliver solutions that our clients can count on. We deliver our services in a timely manner and provide our clients with easy access to our scientific staff. Beyond providing top-shelf research services, we also foster a company culture where employees understand the importance of each project and the needs of the client at the end of every project.
This culture of providing superior client service not only ensures that we exceed customer expectations, but also creates a sustainable base of business that will support continued growth for our investors.
Advanced Facility and Tools
Our corporate offices and multi-million dollar research and development laboratories are now housed in a 22,000 square foot free-standing research center in Fontana, less than 50 miles from Los Angeles, California. For our clients’ convenience, we’re easily accessible via two nearby major interstate highways and the Ontario International Airport.
In order to help our clients meet their low temperature biology challenges, we continually invest in the most sophisticated laboratory tools available. Some of the many tools we use include:
electron microscopy, light/epi-fluorescent microscopic videography, cryomicroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography, fluoroscopy, EIA, flame photometry, differential scanning calorimetric, SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and high-speed imaging of rapid changes in membrane potential using voltage sensitive dyes.
We’ve also invented and custom fabricated a variety of new tools specifically designed to meet our clients’ research goals. They include:
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Patents
The research team at 21CM has earned fundamental patents in the areas of cryopreservation, vitrification, and ice-blocker technologies that enable a broad array of profitable applications. In addition, we have filed numerous patents applications using the services of the distinguished international law firm of Foley and Lardner.
Meeting the Cryopreservation Challenge
21st Century Medicine is changing the rules of the cryopreservation game. Cryopreservation of living systems works primarily because of the existence of cryoprotective agents, which are chemicals that reduce the amount of ice that forms during freezing.
Cryoprotective agents, however, have their problems. They can be toxic and can cause osmotic damage if used incorrectly.
Although these problems can often be limited enough to achieve good cryopreservation of simple systems, they become more and more limiting as the system to be preserved becomes more and more complex. Until recently, there has been no way to escape from this fundamental limitation of cryobiology.
Now there is.
21st Century Medicine scientists have shown that it is possible to create solutions that are fantastically resistant to ice formation yet are also decidedly non-toxic. Even whole organs can now survive once lethal concentrations of cryoprotectants without damage. These solutions are finding applications in systems as simple as mammalian ova and as complex as whole mammalian organs.
The cryopreservation method that can be applied across diverse living systems with the greatest universality of success is vitrification. Vitrification avoids ice formation even at cryogenic temperatures. Unlike freezing—in which the optimum recovery that can be obtained is a balance between the damaging effects of cooling too slowly and the damaging effects of cooling too rapidly—vitrification generally does not require controlled cooling rates and is not sensitive to the cooling rate used over wide cooling rate ranges.
Although 21st Century Medicine therefore focuses mostly on vitrification as the cryopreservation method of choice for many systems, it is likely that our advanced formulas for vitrification can be used to produce better results after freezing and thawing as well.
Although low and non-toxic concentrations of common cryoprotectants are normally used for freeze-preservation, freezing removes pure liquid water from the solution as it crystallizes, thus concentrating all dissolved substances in the remaining unfrozen volume. As temperatures fall lower, the concentrations of cryoprotectants in and around frozen cells can rise to damaging levels. Therefore, freezing ultimately poses the same problems of cryoprotectant toxicity. By using dilute versions of our low-toxicity vitrification formulas for cell freezing, this problem can probably be reduced for many systems.
