# Versatile Microfluidic Gel Electrophoresis Platform for Native Protein Analyses

> **NIH NIH R21** · WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $174,036

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
High-resolution electrophoretic separations of native state proteins can provide a wealth of information
beyond molecular weight determinations. Preserving native structures enables studies of protein folding
states, association of protein complexes, ligand binding, and post-translational modifications. Such
information cannot be determined by standard denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. However,
native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis suffers from limited separation resolution and lengthy analysis
times. This has led many researchers to forgo more information-rich native analyses in favor of more
robust denatured analyses. This project seeks to bridge the gap between the high quantity of information
provided by native gels and the high quality of data provided by denatured gels. We will develop a robust
microfluidic gel electrophoresis platform to comprehensively characterize native proteins. An innovative
strategy employing a thermally reversible gel will be evaluated to generate high-resolution separations.
Introduction of temperature as an additional adjustable parameter will enable separation performance to
be tuned on-demand while preserving native protein structures. The specific aims of this proposal will
establish two core capabilities necessary to demonstrate the suitability of the proposed approach for
native protein characterizations. The overall mass range of the system will be characterized in Aim 1 to
maximize dynamic range by evaluating thermal gel compositions over a range of temperatures. Aim 2
will implement thermal gradients for fine control over resolution to separate different folding states of a
single protein. Milestones have been defined to describe expected performance capabilities resulting
from each aim, building towards the development of a flexible electrophoresis platform. Ultimately, the
proposed system is anticipated to surpass performance of current native protein characterization
methods and accommodate diverse biochemical research applications including analysis of multimeric
protein complexes and evaluating stability of proteins and antibodies in biotherapeutic formulations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10137271
- **Project number:** 5R21GM137278-02
- **Recipient organization:** WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Thomas Linz
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $174,036
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10137271

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10137271, Versatile Microfluidic Gel Electrophoresis Platform for Native Protein Analyses (5R21GM137278-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10137271. Licensed CC0.

---

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