Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Visualizing Ice Crystal Dynamics During Oocyte cryopreservation and Thawing
Time: 6AM PT/9AM ET/3PM CEST/9PM China Time

Presenter: Xinli Zhou, PhD, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology

About the 2025 Best Paper Award:

ISBER is pleased to feature the recipient of the 2025 Best Paper Award in Biopreservation and Biobanking through this webinar. This award recognizes a most impactful paper that was published in Biopreservation and Biobanking (BIO) each year. Selection of the Best Paper Award is based on qualities including both originality/novelty of the research and its potential applications in biopreservation and biobanking fields, ranging from biobanking governance, operation, management, cryobiology, cryopreservation, cold chain, ethical/legal/social issues, to biospecimen science and quality control. This award is made possible with the generous support of Mary Ann Liebert Inc. Publishers and an anonymous donor.

About the webinar:

This webinar presents recent findings on the real-time visualization of intracellular ice formation and growth in mouse oocytes during cryopreservation and thawing. It highlights the impact of rapid cooling rates and the spatial-temporal dynamics of ice crystals, offering new insights into cryoinjury mechanisms. The presentation also explores the inhibitory effects of antifreezing hydrogels and their potential to reduce ice damage, contributing to the optimization of vitrification protocols and advancing fertility preservation strategies in reproductive biomedicine.

About the speaker:

Dr. Xinli Zhou is a researcher focused on cryobiology and interdisciplinary studies across thermodynamics, biology, and medicine. Her work focuses on the mechanisms of cryoinjury in biological samples and the optimization of cryopreservation protocols. Her current research includes cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos, applications of hydrogels and 3D printing in fertility preservation, and the development of automated vitrification devices. She is also actively exploring real-time visualization techniques to study the freezing and thawing behavior of gametes, aiming to advance reproductive cryobiology.

Pricing: Registration for this webinar is free.