Abstract: This invention is directed to an efficient cryopreservation package desgin of harvested mammalian tissues and living cultured tissue equivalents made by in vitro technology. The invention involves immersing a mammalian tissue or cultured tissue equivalent in a cryoprotectant solution, agitating the cryoprotectant solution and the immersed tissue to achieve effective penetration of the cryoprotectant solution into the tissue, and then freezing the tissue at a very slow freezing rate. In the freezing step, extracellular ice formation is initiated by seeding. The cryopreserved tissue may be stored for indefinite periods of time prior to use. The cultured tissue equivalent is an in vitro model of the equivalent human tissue, such as skin or cornea, which, when retrieved from storage can be used for transplantation or implantation in vivo or for screening compounds in vitro.

Abstract: This invention is directed to cryopreservation of cultured tissue equivalents made by in vitro technology. The invention involves immersing a cultured tissue equivalent in a cooled cryoprotectant solution, agitating the cryoprotectant solution and the immersed cultured tissue to achieve effective penetration of the cryoprotectant solution into the cultured tissue equivalent, and then freezing the cultured tissue at a high freezing rate. The cryopreserved cultured tissue equivalent may be stored for indefinite periods of time prior to use. The cultured tissue equivalent is an in vitro model of the equivalent human tissue, which, when retrieved from storage can be used for transplantation or implantation in vivo or for screening compounds in vitro.

Abstract: A counting and grouping apparatus for receiving articles such as fruit, marshalling the articles so as to fill up a number of parallel supply lines for presenting a number of the articles in line abreast in the leading positions in the supply lines, the number in the line abreast being equal to (or a fraction or multiple of) the number of articles to be counted into a group and a moving belt conveyor bearing at intervals along its length lines of fingers in line abreast across the belt, which fingers align with the leading position of the supply lines and shift the line of articles in said leading positions onto the conveyor belt as the fingers pass the exit ends of the supply lines. Gates are described for blocking one or more of the supply lines to control the number.The fingers have an upright operating position for picking off the articles and a non-operating position folded down on to the belt.