Growth and albumin secretion of mouse fetal liver cells cryopreserved within porous polymer scaffolds as a viable cell source for bioartificial livers.

To clinically apply bioartificial livers (BALs), an effective liver cell cryopreservation method is required for a stable cell supply. In this study, we performed tissue-engineered construct (TEC) cryopreservation of fetal liver cells (FLCs) in which FLCs cultured within a porous polymer scaffold were cryopreserved. Growth and albumin secretion in TEC-cryopreserved FLCs after thawing were compared to freshly isolated FLCs (control experiments).