Summary
Procedure and apparatus for the preservation of biological products in lyophile form have been described in detail. The method is one of rapid freezing and rapid dehydration from the frozen state. The product is vacuum sealed in the final container in which it is to be stored and distributed.
The apparatus is simple in operation. Models have been described for use in research laboratories, for board of health and hospital work and for industrial scale production.
Normal and convalescent human sera, animal antisera and complement, miscellaneous proteins, enzymes, viruses, bacteria and other materials have been preserved. Complement may be preserved without detectable deterioration for at least ten months, and indications are that many types of antisera may probably be preserved unaltered for an indeterminate number of years.
