  The continuous development of simple and practical cell cryopreservation
methods is of great importance to a variety of sectors, especially when
considering the efficient short- and long-term storage of cells and their
transportation. Although the overall success of such methods has been increased
in recent years, there is still need for a unified platform that is highly
suitable for efficient cryogenic storage of cells in addition to their
easy-to-manage retrieval. Here, we present a paper-based cell cryopreservation
method as an alternative to conventional cryopreservation methods. The method
is space saving, cost-effective, simple and easy to manage, and requires no
additional fine-tuning to conventional freezing and thawing procedures to yield
comparable recovery of viable cells. We show that treating papers with
fibronectin solution induces enhanced release of viable cells post thawing as
compared to untreated paper platforms. Additionally, upon release, the
remaining cells within paper lead to the formation and growth of spheroid-like
structures. Moreover, we demonstrate that the developed method works with
paper-based 3D cultures, where pre-formed 3D cultures can be efficiently
cryopreserved.
