# Metal-organic Framework Encapsulation of Biomolecules for Ultra-stable Diagnostic Assays and Sensors in Resource-limited Settings

> **NIH NIH R03** · SOUTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF MINES AND TECHN'Y · 2021 · $65,786

## Abstract

Project Summary
Biomedical research and clinical diagnostics rely on the availability of high-quality diagnostic assays and
sensors. The structure and functionality of biomolecular reagents used to construct these assays and sensors
are highly dependent on storage conditions. However, due to the poor stability of these biomolecules (especially
antibodies and enzymes), diagnostic assays and sensors must be maintained under refrigerated conditions to
preserve their biofunctionality. Apart from causing financial and environmental burden, refrigeration or the “cold
chain” is simply not feasible in resource-limited settings such as rural clinics, battle fields, disaster-struck areas,
low-income countries and regions with high burden of diseases and poor infrastructures. Therefore, to improve
the accessibility of high-quality medical diagnostics in resource-limited settings, it is imperative to develop a
refrigeration-free technology to provide stable and reliable bioassays and biosensors at the point-of-care. In this
project, we will develop a novel technology that involves the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as
encapsulants to preserve the functionality of biomolecular reagents in diagnostic assays and sensors under non-
refrigerated conditions. The central hypothesis is that MOF encapsulated bioreagents can retain their
biofunctionality under unregulated (fluctuating) temperature and humidity conditions, thus enabling the use of
stable biosensors and bioassays in resource-limited settings. Our preliminary results have shown that MOF
coatings can preserve surface-bound antibodies on plasmonic nanobiosensors against ambient and elevated
temperatures. Two aims have been set to test the hypothesis. Aim 1 will develop and assess MOF coatings for
preservation of surface-bound antibodies on plasmonic biosensors and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays
(ELISAs) under fluctuating temperature and humidity conditions. We will establish robust chemical procedures
for MOF coatings on surface-bound antibodies on a model plasmonic nanobiosensor and ELISA, both will be
used to detect neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a urinary biomarker for acute kidney injury.
Aim 2 will develop and assess MOF/protein biocomposites for preservation of unbound (free) bioreagents
including antibodies and enzymes used in ELISAs under fluctuating temperature and humidity conditions. We
will focus on the preservation of two typical free biomolecular reagents used in sandwich ELISAs: the biotinylated
detection antibody and streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase. Two different ELISAs for detection of urinary NGAL
and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA, a prostate cancer biomarker) will be selected as model systems. The
successful completion of the proposed effort will lay the groundwork for a novel and generalizable MOF-based
technology for preserving bioassays and biosensors, which not only eliminates refrigeration requirements, but
also greatly advances the applica...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10087523
- **Project number:** 5R03EB028869-02
- **Recipient organization:** SOUTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF MINES AND TECHN'Y
- **Principal Investigator:** Congzhou Wang
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $65,786
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-02-01 → 2022-08-22

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10087523

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10087523, Metal-organic Framework Encapsulation of Biomolecules for Ultra-stable Diagnostic Assays and Sensors in Resource-limited Settings (5R03EB028869-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10087523. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*