A Method to Study Intracellular Ice Nucleation

Abstract

The thermodynamics of intracellular ice nucleation are important in low-temperature biology for understanding and controlling the process of cell destruction by freezing. We have developed a new apparatus and technique for studying the physics of intracellular ice nucleation. Employing the principle of directional solidification in conjunction with light microscopy, we can generate information on the temperature at which ice nucleates intracellularly as a function of the thermal history the cells experience. The methodology is introduced, and results with primary prostatic cancer cells are described.