I-Corps: Capture and release Gels for optimized storage of biospecimens

Award ID: 2019960

The broader impact/commericalization potential of this I-Corps project is to explore translational opportunities for biomolecule storage, transportation and delivery. The proposed solution, Capture and Release Gels for optimized storage (bioCaRGOS), is capable of storing sensitive biospecimens at low temperatures for long periods of time. Bio-CaRGOS eliminates use of cryo-preservation, freezers, dry ice shipments, and emergency power requirements. The technology will transform the logistics of procuring a biospecimen from a patient in remote locations. The proposed technology offers several advantages over current techniques including ease of synthesis (only one chemical), fast immobilization (start to finish: 5-minute process), no need of sophisticated equipment (standard microwave), self-sterility, and requirement of minimal technical expertise.Furthermore, it enables delivery and storage of drugs at room temperature, extending shelf life. With CaRGOS, samples could be retrieved, stored and analyze across the globe. This I-Corps project is to investigate applications for stabilization of biomolecules. The proposed solution can store sensitive biospecimens, including nucleotides and proteins, at 4, 25, and 40 degrees C for long periods of time. It is a benchtop preservation process, where a hydrolyzed solution of silica precursor (TMOS) is obtained via 30 s exposure to microwave radiation and is subsequently added to a specific biospecimen. The long-term stability of a highly sensitive miRNA21 as well as hemoglobin have been demonstrated; miRNA21 maintains 100% integrity at room temperature and 40 degrees C for up to 3 months, and hemoglobin has shown to be stable for up to 6 months at refrigeration temperature and 1 month at room temperature. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman