Jianjun Wang has published more than 100 academic papers in Nature, Nat. Mater., Nat. Commun., PNAS, JACS, Adv. Mater., Angew. Chem. and other journals, and applied for 9 PCT invention patents and more than 70 Chinese invention patents, of which 42 have been authorized. He has presided over major projects and key projects of Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), outstanding youth projects, etc. He has participated in key projects of NSFC, innovative group projects, major scientific research programs of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and pilot projects of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), etc. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Team Members

Jianjun Wang (Principal Investigator), Yuling Sun, Shenglin Jin, Wenji Gao, Yanping Li, Jinhuan Lin, Sitong Lu, Weihong Luo, Shuotian Xie.

About Project

Cryopreservation technology for biological samples is an important technical support for biomedical research and clinical treatment. Cryopreservation is the only technical means for long-term preservation of biological samples, and cryopreservation medium is the key material basis of this technology. When the biological samples are in the ultra-low temperature state, the cell metabolism is suspended. By adding cryopreservation reagents, the formation of ice crystals in the freezing system can be avoided, resulting in the structural damage or even loss of function of the biological samples, and once thawed and resuscitated, the samples will be able to continue to develop and play their functions. Currently, the mainstream vitrification cryopreservation medium on the market do not have the ability to control the growth of ice crystals during the rewarming process, and they contain a high concentration of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), which is cytotoxic and epigenotoxic.

Natural creatures living in extremely cold climates can control the formation and growth of ice crystals by antifreeze proteins, thereby protecting the cells from damage by ice crystals. Based on the research on the ice-control role of ice-control proteins and the revelation of their ice-control mechanism, our project team put forward the design principle of biomimetic ice-control molecules, completely abandoning toxic DMSO, breaking through the technical bottleneck of the current biological samples' "vitrification" cryopreservation, and committing to the development of the cryopreservation technological system of controlling the nucleation and growth of ice crystals.

Research Directions

1、Research on bionic cryopreservation molecules and cryopreservation materials

A series of model ice-control molecules were prepared based on molecular design and controllable synthesis, revealing the mechanism of action of the highly active ice-control materials at the molecular level, i.e., good affinity for both ice and water in order to be fully spread at the interface of ice and water, and then each molecule is able to effectively inhibit the growth of ice crystals, and based on the theory, bionic ice-control cryopreservation materials without DMSO have been successfully developed.

2、Theoretical studies of ice nucleation

By designing and preparing narrow-distribution graphene oxide nanoparticles and utilizing the nanoparticle boundary effect, the existence of critical ice nuclei was experimentally detected for the first time, and the interrelationship between critical ice nuclei and supercooling was established, confirming the predictions of the classical nucleation theory put forward by Gibbs et al. one hundred years ago, and verifying the universality of the classical nucleation theory.

3、Research on anti-freezing and ice-control mechanisms of living organisms

The effects of ice-binding and non-ice-binding surfaces of antifreeze proteins on the formation of ice nuclei were selectively studied by targeted immobilization of antifreeze proteins. The results show that the different surfaces of antifreeze proteins have opposite effects on ice nucleation: the ice-bound surface promotes ice nucleation, while the non-ice-bound surface inhibits ice nucleation. The "Janus" effect of antifreeze proteins on ice nucleation has been revealed at the molecular level, which greatly deepens the understanding of the antifreeze-control mechanism of antifreeze proteins, and provides a scientific basis for the development of biomimetic ice-control cryopreservation.

4、Research on the application of cryopreservation materials

Collaborated with authoritative medical institutions in China，we have explored the application of oocyte cryopreservation and achieved a survival rate of up to 95% after oocyte cryopreservation and resuscitation, and the quality of survival has been significantly improved, thus laying a solid foundation for the promotion of the industrialization and clinical application of bionic ice-controlling cryopreservation materials.

Cooperative Partners