Patent ID: 8796028

Claim:
A method of stabilizing a biological sample, comprising: i) providing a biological sample, and ii) contacting the biological sample with a composition comprising: (α1) from 1 to 100% by weight of at least one polyol selected from the group consisting of a diol, triol, tetraol, pentaol, hexaol, heptoal, octoal, and nonaol, and (α2) from 0 to 99% by weight of an additive selected from the group consisting of monohydric alcohols (monools), ketones, dimethyl sulfoxide, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, ethers, carboxylic acids, carboxamides, nitriles, nitroalkanes and esters, wherein the total weight % of components (α1) and (α2) in said composition amounts to 100% by weight.