Why does cell viability drop after thawing cryopreserved cells?
Published Sep 18, 2026Updated Sep 19, 2026Last verified Sep 18, 2026Requests recorded in this site’s own server logs, with the crawler identity checked by reverse DNS or IP range.Google10First collected Sep 18, 2026Recent requestsGoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 19, 2026GoogleSep 19, 2026GoogleSep 19, 2026GoogleSep 18, 2026
Quick answer
Freezing and thawing damage cells, and part of the cell death is delayed. In a 2020 study of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells, viability fell most at 2–4 hours after thawing and recovered to 93.1–97.6% by 24 hours. Metabolic activity and adhesion were still impaired at that point [8]. Viability measured right after thawing can therefore miss later cell loss and does not show function.
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Sources
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