METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORK AS PROTECTIVE COATING FOR CANCER BIOSPECIMEN PRESERVATION

Through this Administrative Supplement to R21CA236652, we propose to explore the applicability of a novel biospecimen preservation technology (developed as a part of the parent grant) in preserving the structure and functionality of COVID-19 patient biospecimens. COVID-19 research and clinical diagnostics rely on the availability of high-quality biofluids. Within these biofluids, the integrity of molecular biomarkers and the quality of information obtained from their analysis is highly dependent on the storage conditions during pre-analytical phase. Unfortunately, due to the poor stability of biomolecules (especially proteins) at ambient temperatures, they are prone to lose their structure and biofunctionality before analysis. Hence, an extensive distribution network of refrigeration, the "cold chain", is necessary to maintain an optimal temperature during transport, storage, and handling of these biospecimens. Apart from causing a huge financial and environmental burden, the cold chain system is simply not feasible in pre-hospital and resource-limited settings such as urban and rural clinics, as well as developing countries with low and moderate incomes, where refrigeration and electricity are not guaranteed. Moreover, when the biofluids are frozen, decrease in thermodynamic free energy and unfavorable ice crystal-protein interactions can occur during subsequent thawing, which can further compromise analyte integrity. The above considerations clearly suggest the need for an alternate approach for preserving molecular biomarkers in biofluids during the pre-analytical stage, preferably, without the need for refrigeration. In this exploratory project, we propose a novel approach that involves the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as encapsulants for preserving the integrity of biomarkers in biofluids under normal (nonrefrigerated) storage conditions. The approach suggested here is transformative in that it completely eliminates the need for refrigeration and avoids unwanted freeze-thaw cycles and overcomes a huge economic and environmental burden. This energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly approach not only represents a novel technique to eliminate the cold chain and temperature-controlled handling of COVID-19-related biospecimens, but also allows interruptible, storable, and restorable on-demand detection at a later time in a centralized manner/location to improve the reliability of clinical diagnostics. Towards this ultimate goal, we will develop and assess the MOF-based preservation of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (IgG and IgM) in patient serum/plasma under temperature and humidity fluctuations.