Ian,
I was just asked the same question by Can Ince* a few days ago over lunch. As far as routine clinical application goes, at this time, I can say that the answer is, "no." Last May Greg Fahy gave a very impressive presentation at the Suspended Animation conference in Florida which documented 21CM's progress with cornea preservation using vitrification. They have validated their results (essentially "perfect" preservation) in primates and may well be in human clinical trials now. My impression from this presentation was that both in terms of viability and architecture they were routinely achieving preservation that was typically better than obtained with conventional (hypothermic, non-cryogenic) storage of corneas for transplant. This may seem paradoxical, but in fact it is possible because corneas stored in preservative solution under refrigeration deteriorate and the practical aspects of distrubting them mean that they are exposed to many hours of such hypothermic storage. Vitrified corneas are processed immediately and rendered into the solid state where no further changes occur.
One of the things I see a lot (everywhere) is folks not asking their questions of the right people. This is understandable because often we don't
who the right person is to ask! In this case, I'd suggest you ask 21CM or Brian Wowk directly (write me at m2darwin@aol.com) for their addresses. Simple, straighhtforward questions are usually answered even by the busiest scientists and companies. Thoughtful intelligent questions that require considerable time to reply to are also frequently answered. It mostly depends upon the personality, resources (secretarial help, etc.) and time demands on the investigator. Over the years (onto 45 now!) my experience has been very good with even complex queries for detailed and specific information being answered in full. Worst case you'll get no response or a one-liner saying they are too busy or otherwise unable to answer your question. In these days of email you are not even out the cost of stationery and postage!
Mike Darwin
*
http://www.pharmaceuticalservices.nl/sanquin-eng/sqn_sss.nsf/caf2e58949659f41c1256c590043b97d/7a26f5c93918460ec1256f4a00492b3a?OpenDocument