I-Corps: Commercialization study of Marangoni Mediated Lyopreservation

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to evaluate the market potential of a technology that can essentially store and transport molecules of biological and clinical significance without refrigeration. Currently, the lack of proper infrastructure of cold-chain logistics geographically limits distribution and storage of critical biomolecules. The development and commercial implementation of a technology that can enable room temperature stabilization of important biological molecules opens the door for highly sensitive diagnostic devices in the field and in developing regions. Furthermore, stabilization of biologics at room temperature can significantly reduce shipping and storage costs reducing the overall end-user pricing for the drugs. A business strategy based on successful implementation of such a technology can provide a strong case for delivering high quality healthcare anywhere. This I-Corps Project is based on a novel method for creating a highly uniform vitrified (glassy) coating to preserve and protect temperature sensitive biologics including cells and proteins. Formation of a uniformly vitrified environment surrounding the biomolecules in thin film format can arrest degradative chemical reactions and enable storage. The thin-film vitrification technique primarily depends on preferential desiccation of a substrate containing the biomolecules. The technique utilizes a carbohydrate- based formulation which facilitates rapid vitrification at desiccated state. Besides biomolecules, hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells vitrified at ambient temperatures using this process have been shown to successfully retain their viability following processing.