Metal–Organic Framework Encapsulation for Biospecimen Preservation

Abstract

Handling, transport and storage of biospecimens such as blood and urine without refrigeration are extremely challenging. This formidable challenge leads to an inevitable reliance on a “cold chain” for shipping, handling and storage of biospecimens throughout the world. The cold chain requirement precludes biospecimen procurement from underserved populations and resource-limited settings where refrigeration and electricity are not reliable or even available. Here, we introduce a universal biospecimen preservation approach based on nanoporous material encapsulation for preserving protein biomarkers in biofluids under normal (non-refrigerated) storage conditions. Using urinary NGAL and serum/plasma CA-125 as the model protein biomarkers, we demonstrate that zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), a nanoporous material, encapsulation can preserve protein biomarkers in urine, serum, plasma and blood at room temperature and 40°C, with comparable preservation efficacy to the “gold standard” method (freezing li...