Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (468 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The process by which a tissue or aggregate of cells is kept alive outside of the organism from which it was derived (i.e., kept from decay by means of a chemical agent, cooling, or a fluid substitute that mimics the natural state within the organism).
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Preservations, Tissue; Preservation, Tissue; Tissue Preservations.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Histocytological Preparation Techniques; Preservation, Biological
- Narrower topics
- Cryopreservation; Tissue Embedding; Tissue Fixation; Blood Preservation; Organ Preservation; Semen Preservation; Cold Ischemia
- See also
- Tissue and Organ Harvesting
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 101,136 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Tissue Preservation” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 16,108 of them (15.9%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 38,839 records.
Reviews account for 8,122 records (8.0%) and meta-analyses for 298. Randomized controlled trials number 1,115 (1.1%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 38,839 |
| 2000-2009 | 19,748 |
| 2010-2019 | 26,441 |
| 2020 onward | 16,108 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 8,122 | 8.0% |
| Meta-analyses | 298 | 0.3% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 1,115 | 1.1% |
Method: PubMed query "Tissue Preservation"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in diagnostics and medical technology
A test or device is judged by how well it detects a condition, how often it gives false alarms or misses cases, and whether using it improves outcomes for people. Accuracy depends on who is tested and how common the condition is, so a test that performs well in a specialist hospital can perform differently in the community. Check the reference standard, the population studied, the sensitivity and specificity and whether results were confirmed in a separate group.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back in Circulation: A Review of the Implementation of Thoracoabdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Donation After Circulatory Death in Lung Transplantation | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42130672 · DOI · PMC13160682 |
| Lessons From Drug Discovery for Cryoprotective Agent Design: An AI-Oriented Perspective | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42272450 · DOI · PMC13336916 |
| ATAC-seq of low-input and cryopreserved primordial germ cells reveals functional enhancers | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42113595 · DOI · PMC13245901 |
Back in Circulation: A Review of the Implementation of Thoracoabdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Donation After Circulatory Death in Lung Transplantation [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- In the face of a growing mismatch between candidates awaiting transplantation and the supply of conventional donor organs, attention has shifted toward novel methods to increase the donor pool, including the use of donation after circulatory death (DCD) and the refinement of procurement techniques that safeguard graft quality.
- Closing excerpt
- This review covers the rationale behind the use of TA-NRP, while outlining its use during procurement and the current body of evidence gathered on it implementation in lung transplantation specifically.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (102 words)
In the face of a growing mismatch between candidates awaiting transplantation and the supply of conventional donor organs, attention has shifted toward novel methods to increase the donor pool, including the use of donation after circulatory death (DCD) and the refinement of procurement techniques that safeguard graft quality. Thoracoabdominal normothermic regional perfusion (TA-NRP) has emerged as a new strategy, leveraging extracorporeal support to curtail warm-ischemic injury while permitting in situ functional assessment. This review covers the rationale behind the use of TA-NRP, while outlining its use during procurement and the current body of evidence gathered on it implementation in lung transplantation specifically.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42130672 · DOI · PMC13160682
Lessons From Drug Discovery for Cryoprotective Agent Design: An AI-Oriented Perspective [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Cryopreservation is the storage of biological materials like cells, tissues, or even organs at cryogenic temperatures.
- Closing excerpt
- Treating cryoprotectant development as a multiparameter optimization challenge, akin to drug lead optimization, could enable systematic design of the next generation of safer and more effective CPAs.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (186 words)
Cryopreservation is the storage of biological materials like cells, tissues, or even organs at cryogenic temperatures. This technology is a key enabler for biobanking, reproductive medicine, and cell therapy, and is positioned as a vital part of the future of transplantation. Successful cryopreservation relies on cryoprotective agents (CPAs) that protect biological structures from ice-induced damage. However, CPAs can have significant drawbacks, including toxicity, particularly at the high concentrations required for vitrification. As efforts advance toward preserving more sensitive cells, whole organs, and, ultimately, entire organisms, there is a pressing need for new CPAs with improved profiles across multiple parameters. The drug discovery discipline has long recognized that an effective compound must meet many criteria beyond potency, absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity (ADME-T), and that these criteria must be balanced through multiparameter optimization. Similarly, an ideal cryoprotectant must simultaneously satisfy a broad spectrum of requirements. In this perspective, lessons from drug discovery are applied to the design of cryoprotectants. Treating cryoprotectant development as a multiparameter optimization challenge, akin to drug lead optimization, could enable systematic design of the next generation of safer and more effective CPAs.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42272450 · DOI · PMC13336916
ATAC-seq of low-input and cryopreserved primordial germ cells reveals functional enhancers [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Dynamic changes in chromatin accessibility at cis-regulatory elements underlie cell fate transitions during development.
- Closing excerpt
- Our results provide a practical strategy for identifying functional regulatory elements from minimal starting material, facilitating the study of chromatin dynamics in rare cell populations.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (180 words)
Dynamic changes in chromatin accessibility at cis-regulatory elements underlie cell fate transitions during development. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) represent a rare population whose chromatin dynamics remain poorly understood compared to known epigenetic landscapes. Here, we utilized the chicken PGC model to bridge this gap, leveraging its capacity for in vitro expansion and in vivo colonization. We adapted the ATAC-seq workflow to obtain reproducible accessible chromatin region (ACR) profiles from as few as 200 cells, even after cryopreservation. Integrative analysis identified over 10,000 PGC-specific ACRs, many absent from somatic tissues, and revealed inherent Tn5 transposase sequence biases in the chicken genome. To validate these ACRs, we established an in vitro PGC differentiation system and utilized in vivo embryonic transplantation. Reporter assays confirmed enhancer activities in cultured PGCs, while transcriptome integration associated these ACRs with genes expressed at embryonic day 2.5. In vivo transplantation demonstrated that these enhancers exhibited early stage-specific activity, becoming silenced upon gonadal settlement. Our results provide a practical strategy for identifying functional regulatory elements from minimal starting material, facilitating the study of chromatin dynamics in rare cell populations.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42113595 · DOI · PMC13245901
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Oocyte, embryo and blastocyst cryopreservation in ART: systematic review and meta-analysis comparing slow-freezing versus vitrification to produce evidence for the development of global guidance [4]
- Research article Clinical application of oocyte vitrification: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [5]
- Research article Cryopreservation of human embryos by vitrification or slow freezing: a systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Different storage and freezing protocols for extracellular vesicles: a systematic review [7]
- Research article Vitrification versus slow freezing for human ovarian tissue cryopreservation: a systematic review and meta-anlaysis [8]
- Research article Age-specific probability of live birth with oocyte cryopreservation: an individual patient data meta-analysis [9]
References
- Niroomand A, Chang S, Lindstedt S. Back in Circulation: A Review of the Implementation of Thoracoabdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Donation After Circulatory Death in Lung Transplantation. . 2026. PMID 42130672 · DOI · PMC13160682
- Wilczok D, Valdés-Hernández J, Bernales V, Aspuru-Guzik A, Zhavoronkov A. Lessons From Drug Discovery for Cryoprotective Agent Design: An AI-Oriented Perspective. . 2026. PMID 42272450 · DOI · PMC13336916
- Kawaguchi A, Igari M, Murayama Y, Iikawa H, Sakamoto M, Nakamura Y, et al.. ATAC-seq of low-input and cryopreserved primordial germ cells reveals functional enhancers. . 2026. PMID 42113595 · DOI · PMC13245901
- Rienzi L, Gracia C, Maggiulli R, LaBarbera AR, Kaser DJ, Ubaldi FM, et al.. Oocyte, embryo and blastocyst cryopreservation in ART: systematic review and meta-analysis comparing slow-freezing versus vitrification to produce evidence for the development of global guidance. Hum Reprod Update. 2017. PMID 27827818 · DOI · PMC5850862
- Cobo A, Diaz C. Clinical application of oocyte vitrification: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Fertil Steril. 2011. PMID 21718983 · DOI
- Loutradi KE, Kolibianakis EM, Venetis CA, Papanikolaou EG, Pados G, Bontis I, et al.. Cryopreservation of human embryos by vitrification or slow freezing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Fertil Steril. 2008. PMID 17980870 · DOI
- Ahmadian S, Jafari N, Tamadon A, Ghaffarzadeh A, Rahbarghazi R, Mahdipour M. Different storage and freezing protocols for extracellular vesicles: a systematic review. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2024. PMID 39593194 · DOI · PMC11600612
- Shi Q, Xie Y, Wang Y, Li S. Vitrification versus slow freezing for human ovarian tissue cryopreservation: a systematic review and meta-anlaysis. Sci Rep. 2017. PMID 28819292 · DOI · PMC5561141
- Cil AP, Bang H, Oktay K. Age-specific probability of live birth with oocyte cryopreservation: an individual patient data meta-analysis. Fertil Steril. 2013. PMID 23706339 · DOI · PMC3888550
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
See how EvidenceLib is built. Spotted an error? Email support@evidencehelix.com.
Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.