NSF ATP-Bio

10/16/2026

📣❄️ A landmark milestone in organ preservation!

ATP-Bio is excited to share a major breakthrough: the first successful long-term cryopreservation and nanowarming of human-scale kidneys!

🔬 Researchers demonstrated that pig kidneys could be cryopreserved at ultralow temperatures for up to one year, then successfully rewarmed using nanowarming technology. Following transplantation, the kidneys showed signs of functional recovery, including blood flow and urine production.

This achievement represents a significant step toward making long-term organ banking a reality, with the potential to transform organ transplantation and expand access to lifesaving organs.

👏 Congratulations to the interdisciplinary research team and collaborators behind this milestone!

🔗 Read ATP-Bio’s full press release: https://atp-bio.org/press-release-landmark-study-demonstrates-first-successful-long-term-cryopreservation-and-nanowarming-of-human-scale-kidneys/

NSF ATP-Bio is an Engineering Research Center - This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EEC 1941543

10/15/2026

❄️ Exciting new research from ATP-Bio!

A new study published in Scientific Reports, authored by ATP-Bio researcher Dr. Boris Rubinsky, explores how advanced freezing technologies can be more energy-efficient and cost-effective for manufacturing.

🥕 We all know that frozen veggies just feel different. Turns out that there is a way to fix that! High-pressure freezing is a technique that could preserve the texture of frozen tissues, but the cost of hyperbaric pumps is a limiting factor. An alternative method, using the natural expansion of water as it freezes (isochoric pressurization), has been around since at least 2005 (also published by Dr. Rubinsky!), but it hadn't been economically compared with hyperbaric pump freezing until now.

👏 Congratulations to Dr. Rubinsky and the team on this publication!

📖 Read more here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-71841-3

NSF ATP-Bio is an Engineering Research Center - This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EEC 1941543

Pressure-assisted freezing produces frozen foods with finer ice crystals, less drip loss and longer microbiological shelf life than conventional freezing, but its adoption has been limited because the conventional implementation, pressure-shift freezing (PSF), requires a hyperbaric pump delivering 1...

10/14/2026

📣 Join us for our next NSF ATP-Bio Public Webinar!

Discover the PanTHERA story and how innovative cryoprotectants are advancing cell and tissue preservation!❄️

🎤 Featuring Dr. Robert Ben (University of Ottawa) and Dr. Jason Acker (PanTHERA CryoSolutions).

📅 Tuesday, October 20, 2026
⏰ 3-4 PM CT | 4-5 PM ET
💻 Virtual | Join us on Zoom!

More information: https://atp-bio.org/atp-bio-webinar-series/

10/12/2026

❤️ What equipment do we need to cool a heart? ❄️

Find out tomorrow at our special joint NSF ATP-Bio & EARTH Public Webinar!

Join Dr. John Bischof (ATP-Bio) and Dr. Mark Shiflett (EARTH) as they explore “Improved Refrigeration for Next-Generation Cryopreservation” and how advances in refrigeration technology can support the future of organ preservation.

📅 Tomorrow, October 13
⏰ 3-4 PM CT | 4-5 PM ET
💻 Virtual | No pre-registration required!
More information: https://atp-bio.org/atp-bio-webinar-series/



🎵 Music: Amy Beach, “Je demande à l'oiseau.” Recording by Gregor Quendel / Classicals.de (CC BY-NC 4.0): https://www.classicals.de/beach-amy-marcy-selection

10/09/2026

❄️ Don't miss our upcoming NSF ATP-Bio Public Webinar!

Next Tuesday, we're bringing together experts from NSF ATP-Bio and EARTH to explore Improved Refrigeration for Next-Generation Cryopreservation!

Join Dr. John Bischof and Dr. Mark Shiflett for this special joint webinar.

📅 Tuesday, October 13, 2026
⏰ 3-4 PM CT | 4-5 PM ET | 1-2 PM PT
💻 Virtual | No pre-registration required!

More information: https://atp-bio.org/atp-bio-webinar-series/

10/07/2026

📣 Calling all student innovators!

Submissions are now open for the 16th Annual DMD Student Design Showcase! Showcase your medical device innovation, compete for cash prizes, and present your work at the 2027 Design of Medical Devices Conference.

📅 Submit by January 15, 2027
🔗 Learn more and subscribe: https://dmd.umn.edu/

10/06/2026

❄️ Join us for a special joint NSF ATP-Bio & EARTH Public Webinar!

On October 13, Dr. John Bischof and Dr. Mark Shiflett will present “Improved Refrigeration for Next-Generation Cryopreservation,” bringing together expertise in cryobiology and refrigeration technology.

📅 Tuesday, October 13, 2026
⏰ 3-4 PM CT | 4-5 PM ET | 1-2 PM PT
💻 Zoom link: https://umn.zoom.us/j/93724503705

09/30/2026

🏆 She did it! Congratulations, Maria Jose Londono!

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate Maria as the NSF ERC Biennial Perfect Pitch winner, representing NSF ATP-Bio on the national stage in Washington, D.C.!

Maria delivered the winning 90-second research pitch, earning the $5,000 prize and Lynn Preston Trophy. 🎉

Congratulations, Maria! What an incredible achievement! 💙👏

Read more: https://atp-bio.org/atp-bios-maria-j-londono-wins-national-nsf-erc-perfect-pitch-competition/

NSF ATP-Bio is an Engineering Research Center - This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EEC 1941543

09/29/2026

📣 Happening tomorrow! Join us for a webinar on DMSO-free cryopreservation!

Dr. Alptekin Aksan will present “Cryopreservation of Manufactured Cells by Encapsulation” as part of the National Cancer Institute’s Biobanking for Precision Medicine webinar series.

🧊 Discover how encapsulating cells in reversible hydrogels could help overcome key challenges in cryopreservation and advance safer, DMSO-free preservation of cell-based therapies.

📅 Wednesday, September 30, 2026
⏰ 3:00–4:30 PM ET 💻 Virtual

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about emerging approaches to cell preservation!

🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/3VkOkxb

09/28/2026

🏆 From ATP-Bio’s Perfect Pitch winner to the national stage in Washington, D.C.!

We’re wishing Maria Jose Londono, from the Medical Design Innovations (MDI) Lab (University of Texas at San Antonio), the very best as she represents ATP-Bio at the NSF ERC Biennial Meeting in Washington, D.C.!

Maria earned this opportunity after taking 1st place in ATP-Bio’s Perfect Pitch Competition, where she showcased her research and its potential in the field of organ cryopreservation.

Now, she’ll take that pitch to the national stage and represent ATP-Bio alongside innovators from across the NSF Engineering Research Centers community.

👏 Congratulations again, Maria, for this achievement. We’re proud to have you representing ATP-Bio — good luck in D.C.! 💙

NSF ATP-Bio is an Engineering Research Center - This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EEC 1941543