Pipeline / 04 · Infrastructure

Ambient Cell Logistics

Room-temperature cell logistics — a bioinspired sporulation strategy that ends cold-chain dependency for cellular therapies.

STAGE 01 STAGE 02 STAGE 03 Encapsulation Sporulation Germination Alginate + Cells CACL₂ BATH Forming cell-laden microspheres PG (pyrogallol) 0.5 mg/ml Cell-MS / PG Thermo-mixing Cell dormancy Coating with plant-derived polyphenol EDTA Cell release Releasing cells from microspheres CELLS TESTED · HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (hMSC)
The three-stage bioinspired sporulation strategy — encapsulation, dormancy induction via pyrogallol (PG) coating, and EDTA-triggered germination at destination. Cells tested: human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs).
Premise

The problem we are solving.

Every cellular therapy depends on cold. Liquid nitrogen shippers, dry ice, refrigerated trucks, chain-of-custody documentation at every handover — the logistics cost often exceeds the therapy itself. For clinical deployment in tropical climates, remote hospitals, or emergency response, cold chain is not an inconvenience. It is a barrier that keeps modern medicine out of the regions that need it most.

MACRO HRD's Ambient Cell Logistics platform — developed with Nanyang Technological University — eliminates this barrier. Using a bioinspired polyphenol sporulation strategy, cells are reversibly induced into dormancy at ambient temperature, retaining >70% viability for up to 14 days without refrigeration.

Approach

How we tackle it.

The approach mirrors what bacteria have done for billions of years: when conditions turn hostile, they enter a dormant state, then return to function when the environment recovers. Applied to human mesenchymal stem cells, the pyrogallol (PG) coating strategy induces reversible dormancy within cell-laden alginate microspheres at 0.5 mg/ml concentration.

Cells remain viable at >80% for 72 hours post-germination, restore full metabolic activity within 24 hours of EDTA-triggered release, and meet ISCT phenotypic markers (CD73, CD90, CD105 >95%; CD14, 19, 34, 45, HLA-DR <2%) even after 14-day ambient storage. Antibacterial protection from the same PG coating maintains viability against S. aureus contamination at 37°C.

0 20 40 60 80 100 CELL VIABILITY (%) FDA viability benchmark · 70% 6 95 93 Day 3 3 78 88 Day 7 0 54 75 Day 14 Bare cells Non-coated MS PG-coated MS
Extended storage viability at room temperature. PG-coated cells maintain >70% viability at day 14, compared to near-zero viability for bare cells and ~54% for non-coated microspheres. The FDA-defined minimum viability benchmark for cell therapy products is 70%.
Comparison of preservation strategies for cellular therapy products
AttributeCryopreservationHypothermicMACRO HRD PG
Storage temperature−196°C<21°CAmbient (up to 40°C)
Storage durationLong-term (years)Up to 7 daysUp to 14 days demonstrated
Energy consumptionHighModerateMinimal
Cytotoxicity concernDMSO-inducedLowNone (polyphenol-based)
Post-retrieval recoveryDay 7 still suppressedRapid but short windowFull by day 3
Antibacterial protectionNone (cold only)NoneIntegrated (PG sulfhydryl inhibition)
Field deploymentRequires LN₂ chainRequires refrigerationNone required
i.
Encapsulation
Cells suspended in alginate are formed into microspheres via electrostatic encapsulation into a CaCl₂ bath.
ii.
Sporulation
Microspheres are coated with plant-derived pyrogallol (PG) polyphenol at 0.5 mg/ml — inducing reversible dormancy.
iii.
Ambient transport
Coated microspheres ship and store at room temperature for up to 14 days with no cold chain required.
iv.
Germination
EDTA treatment releases cells from microspheres at the destination. Full metabolic activity restored within 24 hours.
0 1.4 2.8 4.2 5.6 7 CELL NUMBER (×10⁵) 0.5 0.5 0.4 Day 0 post-incubation 1.5 1.5 1.2 Day 3 post-incubation 5.8 5.8 5.2 Day 7 post-incubation Incubated (37°C) PG-coated (RT) Cryopreserved (−196°C)
Metabolic recovery comparison against cryopreservation. PG-coated cells reach full growth rate by day 3 post-retrieval, while cryopreserved cells remain suppressed through day 7. Cells stored at 37°C (positive control), room temperature (PG-coated), or −196°C (cryopreserved) for 3 days before retrieval.
Capabilities

What makes this real.

01
Cold chain independence
No dry ice, liquid nitrogen, or refrigeration required. Ambient-temperature storage up to 14 days at >70% viability.
02
Thermal tolerance to 40°C
PG-coated cells survive heat stress to 40°C — sufficient for tropical and remote deployment contexts.
03
Integrated antibacterial protection
Pyrogallol's sulfhydryl-group inhibition blocks microbial contamination during transit — a built-in sterility safeguard.
04
Faster metabolic recovery than cryopreservation
Cells reach full growth rate by day 3 post-germination; cryopreserved cells often remain suppressed through day 7.
0 20 40 60 80 100 CELL VIABILITY (%) FDA viability benchmark · 70% 8 62 88 Overheating (40°C, 20 min) 3 67 92 Extreme cyclic (17↔27°C) Bare cells Non-coated MS PG-coated MS
Thermal tolerance profiling under overheating (OH) and extreme cyclic (EC) heat stress. PG-coated microspheres retain viability up to 40°C — sufficient for tropical and off-grid deployment contexts.
Where It Connects

Part of an integrated platform.

01 · Platforms
Immune Cell Banking Platform
Pre-engineered, AI-preconditioned immune cell reserves — a living biological insurance for every client.
01 · Platforms
Engineered Immune Cells Platform
CAR-like NK systems and γδ T cell therapies for adaptive, MHC-independent elimination of diseased cells.
04 · Infrastructure
GEDM-ICU
A research-grade, multimodal, trajectory-based intelligence layer — deployed first at the University of Antwerp's ferroptosis-oriented critical care program.
04 · Infrastructure
SA Trial Hospital
A fast-track clinical trial hospital platform in South Africa — accelerating first-in-human studies for therapeutics targeting high-burden African diseases.
⸻ Continue the platform

“We have asked biology for a favor: the same dormancy strategy that sustains life through winter, now sustaining medicine through its journey to patients.”

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