If you have been reading about lyoprotectant and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.
Last reviewed on 2026-01-30. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Lyophilization is a dehydration process that removes water from a frozen material by sublimation under low pressure. The material is first frozen to convert liquid water into ice. Next, the pressure is reduced below the triple point of water so that ice changes directly into vapor without passing through a liquid phase. This step is called primary drying. The result is a porous solid or cake that retains the original shape of the frozen solution.
After primary drying, secondary drying removes water that remains bound to the material. This stage raises the shelf temperature while maintaining low pressure, which encourages desorption of unfrozen water. Residual moisture can be reduced to a low percentage, improving stability for many products. The process parameters, including freezing rate, shelf temperature, and chamber pressure, influence the final pore structure and reconstitution behavior. Control of these variables helps prevent collapse or meltback during drying.
Formulation composition influences whether freeze-drying produces an intact cake or a collapsed mass. Excipients such as sugars and polymers can raise the collapse temperature and provide bulk during drying. The critical temperature for primary drying is often the collapse temperature or the glass transition temperature of the maximally concentrated phase. If the product temperature exceeds this threshold, the frozen matrix may soften and lose structure. Established practice therefore links shelf temperature and chamber pressure to the formulation's thermal properties.
The physics of freeze-drying couples heat transfer, mass transfer, and phase change. Heat supplied through the shelf must reach the sublimation front without melting the ice or degrading the product. Water vapor then travels through the already dried layer and leaves the chamber, where low pressure and cold traps keep it from returning. The dried layer acts as a resistance to vapor flow, so drying rate changes as the front recedes. Open questions remain about how pore structure and formulation heterogeneity affect drying uniformity at larger scales.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common synonyms | Freeze-drying, lyophilisation | Lyophilization is the American spelling; lyophilisation is British |
| Primary drying mechanism | Sublimation of ice | Occurs under vacuum below the triple point |
| Typical chamber pressure | 0.05-0.5 mbar | Range depends on product and equipment |
| Typical shelf temperature during freezing | -40 to -20 °C | Lower temperatures may be used for labile products |
| Resulting product form | Porous cake or powder | Appearance depends on formulation and cycle |
Industries use lyophilization for pharmaceuticals, biological products, and food preservation. In the pharmaceutical sector, it extends the shelf life of injectable drugs, vaccines, and proteins that are unstable in aqueous solution. Food manufacturers apply freeze-drying to coffee, fruits, and ready meals to retain flavor and texture. The process is energy-intensive and requires specialized equipment, which limits its use to high-value products. Ongoing research examines how formulation and process parameters affect the quality of the final dried product.
Lyophilization, also known as freeze-drying, is a process that removes water from a material by freezing it and then reducing pressure to allow ice to sublimate directly into vapor. The method begins with a freezing step that solidifies the water content. Next, primary drying lowers the pressure below the triple point of water, enabling sublimation without passing through a liquid phase. A final secondary drying step removes bound water through desorption. This sequence produces a dry, porous cake that can be reconstituted later.
The process relies on the phase diagram of water, where the triple point marks the conditions at which ice, liquid water, and vapor coexist. By maintaining pressure below this point, typically around 0.01 to 0.1 millibar, sublimation becomes the dominant mechanism. Formulations often include excipients such as sugars or polymers that act as lyoprotectants and bulking agents. These additives help preserve the structure of the active ingredient and prevent collapse during drying. The choice of excipient and freezing rate influences the final cake morphology and stability.
The process generally proceeds in three stages: freezing, primary drying, and secondary drying. During freezing, controlled cooling converts water into ice and may also crystallize or vitrify solutes. In primary drying, the pressure is lowered below the triple point, and heat is supplied so ice sublimes directly to vapor. Secondary drying removes water that remains bound to the solid matrix, yielding a low final water content. Product temperature must stay below the collapse or glass transition temperature to maintain structure. Cycle design therefore balances shelf temperature, chamber pressure, and time.
Freeze-drying is used for materials whose activity or structure depends on low temperature and low water content. Examples include certain biologics, diagnostic reagents, starter cultures, coffee, and porous inorganic precursors. The dried product forms a cake whose porosity aids rapid wetting and dissolution. Main drawbacks are high energy use, long cycle times, and sensitivity to formulation and equipment variation. Questions remain about how freezing rates and ice morphology affect batch uniformity, especially when moving from laboratory to production scale.
Since Xi became general secretary, censorship has stepped up. Xi has overseen the increased coordination and consolidation of censorship authorities, raising their efficiency, and under his leadership censorship practices have tightened. Xi has called on for more positive energy at Chinese media, referring to the need for uplifting messages as opposed to critical or negative ones. In August 2013, he gave what became known as the August 19 speech, emphasizing the guiding role of ideology in propaganda. At the Symposium on News Reporting and Public Opinion in 2016, Xi stated that "party and government-owned media must hold the family name of the party" and that the state media "must embody the party's will, safeguard the party's authority". Xi's administration has overseen more Internet restrictions imposed, and is described as being "stricter across the board" on speech than previous administrations. In 2013, the State Internet Information Office summoned influential bloggers to a seminar to instruct them to avoid writing about politics, the CCP, or making statements contradicting official narratives. Many bloggers stopped writing about controversial topics, and Weibo went into decline, with much of its readership shifting to WeChat users speaking to limited social circles. The SIIO also formulated the Seven Bottom Lines, which serve as the bottom lines that internet users and social media companies in China must adhere to.
Clinical chemistry (also known as chemical pathology, clinical biochemistry or medical biochemistry) is a division in pathology and medical laboratory sciences focusing on qualitative tests of important compounds, referred to as analytes or markers, in bodily fluids and tissues using analytical techniques and specialized instruments. This interdisciplinary field includes knowledge from medicine, biology, chemistry, biomedical engineering, informatics, and an applied form of biochemistry (not to be confused with medicinal chemistry, which involves basic research for drug development). The discipline originated in the late 19th century with the use of simple chemical reaction tests for various components of blood and urine. Many decades later, clinical chemists use automated analyzers in many clinical laboratories. These instruments perform experimental techniques ranging from pipetting specimens and specimen labelling to advanced measurement techniques such as spectrometry, chromatography, photometry, potentiometry, etc. These instruments provide different results that help identify uncommon analytes, changes in light and electronic voltage properties of naturally occurring analytes such as enzymes, ions, electrolytes, and their concentrations, all of which are important for diagnosing diseases. Blood and urine are the most common test specimens clinical chemists or medical laboratory scientists collect for clinical routine tests, with a main focus on serum and plasma in blood. There are now many blood tests and clinical urine tests with extensive diagnostic capabilities.
RNA replication is the copying of one RNA to another. Many viruses replicate this way. The enzymes that copy RNA to new RNA, called RNA-dependent RNA polymerases, are also found in many eukaryotes, where they are involved in RNA silencing. RNA editing, in which an RNA sequence is altered by a complex of proteins and a "guide RNA", could also be seen as an RNA-to-RNA transfer.
CoviVac – COVID vaccine Cytestrol acetate – antiestrogen, cytostatic antineoplastic agent Deltaran (delta sleep-inducing peptide) – alcohol withdrawal treatment Dilept (GZR-123) – antipsychotic, neurotensin analogue Diucifon – leprostatic agent Emoxypine (Mexidol; Mexifin) – actoprotector, antioxidant EpiVacCorona – COVID vaccine Eprobemide (Befol) – antidepressant, reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A Ethacizine (ethacyzine; Ethacizin) – antiarrhythmic agent Fabomotizole (Afobazole) – anxiolytic Feprosidnine (Sydnophen) – amphetamine derivative, psychostimulant Fluacizine (Phtorazisin) – tricyclic antidepressant, phenothiazine Fluorothiazinone (CL-55; Ftortiazinon) – investigational antibiotic Fotretamine (Fotrin) – alkylating antineoplastic agent, immunosuppressant Gamofen (gamophen; amphetamine–GABA) – amphetamine derivative, GABATooltip γ-aminobutyric acid analogue, central agent, central depressant Gidazepam (hydazepam, hidazepam) – atypical benzodiazepine, anxiolytic, TSPOTooltip translocator protein agonist/ligand Gludantan (gludantane) – adamantane, antiparkinsonian agent, antidepressant Glufimet (RGPU-238; dimethyl 3-phenylglutamate) – GABATooltip γ-aminobutyric acid and phenibut analogue Glutaron (RGPU-135; neuroglutamine, neuroglutam; β-phenylglutamate; 3-phenylglutamate) – glutamate analogue, psychostimulant, antidepressant, anxiolytic, neuroprotective Hemantane (hymantane) – adamantane, antiparkinsonian agent Hopantenic acid (homopantothenic acid; N-pantoyl-GABA; Pantogam) – central depressant, GABATooltip γ-aminobutyric acid analogue Ipidacrine (Neiromidin) – acetylcholinesterase inhibitor Latrepirdine (dimebolin; Dimebon) – antihistamine, antiserotonergic, nootropic Mecigestone (pentarane B) – progestin Megestrol caproate (MGC) – progestin Meldonium (Mildronate) – anti-ischemia agent Menthyl isovalerate (validolum; Extravalerianic, Validol, Valofin, Menthoval) – anxiolytic Mesocarb (Sidnocarb, Sydnocarb, Synocarb) – amphetamine derivative, psychostimulant Methylphenatine – amphetamine derivative, psychostimulant Methylphenylpiracetam – racetam, sigma σ1 receptor positive allosteric modulator α-Methyltryptamine (αMT; Indopan) – tryptamine derivative, antidepressant Metralindole (Inkazan) – antidepressant, reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A Moracizine (moricizine; Ethmozine) – antiarrhythmic agent Nooglutyl (Nooglutil; N-5-hydroxynicotinoyl-L-glutamate) – nootropic Orenetide (BP101; Libicore; Desirix; Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro) – investigational small peptide, sexual enhancer Pabofen (pabophen; amphetamine–PABA) – amphetamine derivative, antihypoxic agent Pentarane A (D'6-pentarane) – progestin Phemerazole (femerazol; 5-phenyl-3-methylpyrazole) – sedative, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant, mammary stimulant Phenatine (phenatin; Fenatine; amphetamine–niacin; N-nicotinoylamphetamine) – amphetamine derivative, psychostimulant, hypotensive agent Phenazepam – benzodiazepine, anxiolytic, sedative, hypnotic Phenibut (β-phenyl-GABA; Anvifen, Fenibut, Noofen; Citrocard, RGPU-147) – central depressant, anxiolytic, GABATooltip γ-aminobutyric acid analogue, gabapentinoid N-Phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester (omberacetam; Noopept) – nootropic, racetam, cyclic glycine-proline prodrug Phenylphenamine (phenylamphetamine) – amphetamine derivative Phenylpiracetam (fonturacetam; Phenotropil, Actitropil, Carphedon) – psychostimulant, nootropic, racetam Phenylpiracetam hydrazide (fonturacetam hydrazide) – anticonvulsant, racetam Picamilon (N-nicotinoyl-GABA, pycamilon, and pikamilon) – anxiolytic, GABATooltip γ-aminobutyric acid analogue Pipofezine (Azafen, Azaphen) – tricyclic antidepressant Pirlindole (Lifril, Pyrazidol) – antidepressant, reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor Polymethylsiloxane polyhydrate (PMSPH; methylsilicic acid hydrogel; Enterosgel) – enterosorbent Propylphenamine (propylamphetamine; possibly N-propylamphetamine) – amphetamine derivative Prospidium chloride (prospidine) – cytostatic, anti-inflammatory agent Pyridoxiphen (amphetamine–pyridoxine; pyridoxylamphetamine) – amphetamine derivative, sympatholytic, hypotensive agent Quifenadine (Phencarol, Fencarol) – antihistamine RGPU-95 (p-chlorophenylpiracetam) – antidepressant, anxiolytic, racetam RGPU-207 (cyclic GABA derivative) – GABATooltip γ-aminobutyric acid analogue, mitochondrial modulator, racetam RGPU-260 – GABATooltip γ-aminobutyric acid analogue, cardiac stimulant Riamilovir (Triazavirin) – antiviral RU-1205 – analgesic, kappa opioid receptor agonist Selank – tuftsin analogue, nootropic, anxiolytic Semax – ACTHTooltip adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment analogue, nootropic, neuroprotective, neurorestorative Sodium polydihydroxyphenylene thiosulfonate (Hypoxen) – antihypoxic agent Sputnik Light – COVID vaccine Sputnik V – COVID vaccine Sulfozinum (sulfazin) – pyrogenic and pain-inducing agent used in psychiatry, for instance psychosis Temgicoluril (tetramethylglycoluril; Adaptol, Mebicar, Mebicarum, Mebikar) – anxiolytic Testifenon (testiphenon, testiphenone, chlorphenacyl dihydrotestosterone ester) – androgen/anabolic steroid, cytostatic antineoplastic agent Tetrindole – antidepressant, reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A Thiophenatine (N-thionicotinoylamphetamine) – amphetamine derivative Tipindole – serotonin antagonist and monoamine oxidase inhibitor Tolibut (β-(4-methylphenyl)-GABA)) – anxiolytic, analgesic, neuroprotective, GABATooltip γ-aminobutyric acid and phenibut analogue Traneurocin (cycloprolylglycine; CPG; NA-831) – racetam-like neuroprotective, neurogenic, nootropic, and anxiolytic Trimeperidine – opioid analgesic Umifenovir (Arbidol) – antiviral Vishnevsky liniment – topical wound medication Phenamine (Fenamin), a psychostimulant, is not specifically a Russian drug but is rather the Russian name for amphetamine.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Biological significance == In general, most biochemical reactions are stereoselective, so only one stereoisomer will produce the intended product while the other simply does not participate or can cause side-effects. Of note, the L form of amino acids and the D form of sugars (primarily glucose) are usually the biologically reactive form. This is due to the fact that many biological molecules are chiral and thus the reactions between specific enantiomers produce pure stereoisomers. Also notable is the fact that all amino acid residues exist in the L form. However, bacteria produce D-amino acid residues that polymerize into short polypeptides which can be found in bacterial cell walls. These polypeptides are less digestible by peptidases and are synthesized by bacterial enzymes instead of mRNA translation which would normally produce L-amino acids. The stereoselective nature of most biochemical reactions meant that different enantiomers of a chemical may have different properties and effects on a person. Many psychotropic drugs show differing activity or efficacy between isomers, e.g. amphetamine is often dispensed as racemic salts while the more active dextroamphetamine is reserved for refractory cases or more severe indications; another example is methadone, of which one isomer has activity as an opioid agonist and the other as an NMDA antagonist. Racemization of pharmaceutical drugs can occur in vivo.
The shooting of six surrendered Afrikaner men and boys and theft of their money and livestock at Valdezia on 2 July 1901. The orders were given by Captains Alfred Taylor and James Huntley Robertson, and relayed by Sgt. Maj. K.C.B. Morrison to Sgt. D.C. Oldham. The actual killing was alleged to have been carried out by Sgt. Oldham and BVC Troopers Eden, Arnold, Brown, Heath, and Dale. The shooting of BVC Trooper B.J. van Buuren by BVC Lt. Peter Handcock on 4 July. Trooper van Buuren, an Afrikaner, had "disapproved" of the killings at Valdezia, and informed the victims' wives and children, imprisoned at Fort Edward, of what had happened. The revenge killing of Floris Visser, a wounded prisoner of war, near the Koedoes River on 11 August. Visser had been captured by a BVC patrol led by Lieut. Harry Morant two days before his death. After Visser had been exhaustively interrogated and conveyed for 15 miles by the patrol, Lt. Morant had ordered his men to form a firing squad and shoot him. The squad consisted of BVC Troopers A.J. Petrie, J.J. Gill, Wild, and T.J. Botha. A coup de grâce was delivered by BVC Lt. Harry Picton. The slaying of Visser was in retaliation for the combat death of Morant's friend, BVC Captain Percy Frederik Hunt, at Duivelskloof on 6 August. The shooting, ordered by Capt. Taylor and Lt. Morant, of four surrendered Afrikaners and four Dutch schoolteachers, who had been captured at the Elim Hospital in Valdezia, on the morning of 23 August. The firing squad consisted of BVC Lt. George Witton, Sgt. D.C. Oldham, and Troopers J.T. Arnold, Edward Brown, T.
Initial research work was done by Alfred Champagnat at BP's Lavera Refinery in France; a small pilot plant there started operations in March 1963, and the same construction of the second pilot plant, at Grangemouth Oil Refinery in Britain, was authorized. The term SCP was coined in 1966 by Carroll L. Wilson of MIT. The "food from oil" idea became quite popular by the 1970s, with Champagnat being awarded the UNESCO Science Prize in 1976, and paraffin-fed yeast facilities being built in a number of countries. The primary use of the product was as poultry and cattle feed. The Soviets were particularly enthusiastic, opening large "BVK" (belkovo-vitaminny kontsentrat, i.e., "protein-vitamin concentrate") plants next to their oil refineries in Kstovo (1973) and Kirishi (1974). The Soviet Ministry of Microbiological Industry had eight plants of this kind by 1989. However, due to concerns of toxicity of alkanes in SCP and pressured by the environmentalist movements, the government decided to close them down, or convert to some other microbiological processes. Quorn is a range of vegetarian and vegan meat-substitutes made from Fusarium venenatum mycoprotein, sold in Europe and North America. Another type of single cell protein-based meat analogue (which does not use fungi however but rather bacteria) is Calysta. Other producers are Unibio (Denmark) Circe Biotechnologie (Austria) and String Bio (India). SCP has been argued to be a source of alternative or resilient food.
Club, described the film as "boneheaded" and "a perfect hate-watch" noting that Macdonald "slaps together some cheap, quick-cut montages gesturing at the modern surveillance state" but lacks the "feel for the pace or tension needed to keep the energy up in a film like this," and commenting that "The extended workout, either shot so far away that it looks like stock footage or so tight that it loses all sense of context, is never any more exciting than watching Gadot lope on a treadmill." Dennis Harvey, in a similarly negative review for Variety, wrote that the film "lacks the strong suspense or novelty necessary to elevate an overfamiliar concept" and criticized the acting, saying "Nor is Gadot a performer inclined to lend much more than athleticism to a role that could use some warmth and idiosyncrasy to color its rather generic action-hero gist." In a review for TheWrap, William Bibbiani wrote, "The Runner isn't much of a thriller. It isn't much of a movie. It would, however, be a hilarious episode of Taskmaster."
26 July – Three men are killed in a car crash on a road near Dunmore; a woman also involved in the incident is being treated in hospital. The Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland is named as a World Heritage Site. 30 July – Unison confirms that refuse workers in 14 Scottish council areas will strike from 14 to 22 August. 31 July – The Unite and GMB unions announce eight days of strike action for refuse workers beginning on 14 August, which will include those working for Edinburgh City Council and occur during the Edinburgh Festival.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Domestic affairs === Mahathir had promised to "restore the rule of law", and reopen investigations into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, telling the press that Najib would face consequences if found guilty of corruption. Mahathir instructed the Department of Immigration to bar Najib and his wife, the notoriously extravagant Rosmah Mansor, from leaving the country after they attempted to fly to Indonesia. Mahathir formed his cabinet of 29 ministers in June 2018. He abolished the unpopular Goods and Services Tax, reducing it from six to zero per cent. Mahathir implemented a "no gifts policy," stating that he would only accept food, flowers, and fruits, while prohibiting government officials from receiving any other gifts to prevent corruption. He also vowed to cut fiscal spending by firing thousands of civil servants, cancelling an expensive Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high-speed rail link and cutting back on large infrastructure projects initiated under Najib. Malaysia's freedom of the press improved slightly under Mahathir's tenure, and the country's rank rose in the Press Freedom Index. The government announced palm oil cultivation would be limited to 6.55 million hectares by 2023, and began a lobbying campaign to improve palm oil's reputation abroad. On 20 June 2018, Mahathir met the father of murdered Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu and agreed that the case of her murder should be reopened.
Lead, antimony, and barium Barium, calcium, and silicon Antimony Barium The authors proposed some rules about chemical elements that could also be present in these particles. Wallace and McQuillan published a new classification of the gunshot residue particles in 1984. They labeled as unique particles those that contain lead, antimony, and barium, or that contain antimony and barium. Wallace and McQuillan also maintained that these particles could contain only some chemical elements.
The Refabricator experiment, which was delivered to the ISS aboard Cygnus NG-10 on November 19, 2018, processes plastic feedstock through multiple printing and recycling cycles to evaluate how many times the plastic materials can be re-used in the microgravity environment before their polymers degrade to unacceptable levels. Additionally, 3D printing in space can also account for the printing of meals. NASA's Advanced Food Technology program is currently investigating the possibility of printing food items in order to improve food quality, nutrient content, and variety. Airbus is developing and planning with the European Space Agency to send and test the first 3D-printer printing metals in space at the ISS in a year from 2022, and establishing space manufacturing in three to four years from 2022.
==== Evacuations to Bethlehem ==== In March 2024, Israel brought 95 Palestinian orphans from Rafah to the SOS Children's orphanage in Bethlehem at the request of the German government. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned the temporary measure, stating, "Any mercy to the cruel will end up being cruel to the merciful".
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Lyophilization removes water by sublimation from a frozen material, while evaporation changes liquid water into vapor. The low-pressure freezing step avoids the liquid phase and can preserve heat-sensitive structures.
Vacuum lowers the pressure below the triple point of water, allowing ice to sublimate directly into vapor. It also helps remove water vapor from the product chamber and shortens primary drying.
Many aqueous solutions and suspensions can be freeze-dried, but some formulations collapse or do not form a stable cake. The process requires careful formulation and cycle development.
Primary drying removes ice by sublimation at low pressure and low shelf temperature. Secondary drying removes bound water by raising the shelf temperature, often under the same vacuum. The two stages differ in the water state being removed.