Rapid electromagnetic warming of cells and tissues.

We describe a system for thawing frozen cell suspensions and tissues by electromagnetic absorption. A 25-ml sample is heated in a cylindrical resonant cavity, which is excited in three modes all close to 434 MHz. Maximum warming rates are over 10 degrees C/s (600 C/min), and a frozen sample may be brought from -65 degrees C to room temperature in < 30 s, with final spatial differences of < 20 degrees C. Samples may be frozen externally, or cooled within the cavity at typically 1 degree C/min. We have also used the resonant cavity to measure the permittivity and conductivity of the sample at temperatures from -83 degrees C to +8 degrees C. By measuring the heat capacity of the sample, we have calculated the power deposited in it as a function of its temperature. The system is currently being used to investigate the effect of warming rate on cell survival.