Encapsulation Matrix for Improved Biological Specimen Storage and Recovery

Luna Innovations will establish the feasibility of modifying our novel bio-encapsulation techniques for enhanced preservation of biological samples. The proposed technology has been successfully applied to protein and whole cell encapsulation, providing significant improvements in storage life-time and temperature stability. This unique preservation method has the ability to reduce analyte loss while still maintaining analyte integrity. During Phase I, Luna will develop modified encapsulation matrices for the preservation of two different biological samples (blood and urine). In order to demonstrate enhanced recovery of analytes, various biomarkers (DNA, RNA, and cytokines) will be quantified as a function of preservation time, temperature, and degree of dehydration. Phase II will focus on increasing the storage lifetime of the samples as well as extending the range of suitable storage environments. Concurrently, Luna will be working to adapt this novel bio-encapsulation technique for integration into applications such as therapeutic drug monitoring, newborn screening, biomarker discovery and qualification research.