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Anh Lam P, Furr DP, Tran A, McKeough RQ, Beasock D, Chandler M, Afonin KA, Trammell SR. The Application of Light-Assisted Drying to the Thermal Stabilization of Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles. Biopreserv Biobank 2022; 20:451-460. [PMID: 36067075 PMCID: PMC9603253 DOI: 10.1089/bio.2022.0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Cold-chain storage can be challenging and expensive for the transportation and storage of biologics, especially in low-resource settings. Nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) are an example of new biological products that require refrigerated storage. Light-assisted drying (LAD) is a new processing technique to prepare biologics for anhydrous storage in a trehalose amorphous solid matrix at ambient temperatures. In this study, LAD was used to thermally stabilize four types of NANPs with differing structures and melting temperatures. Methods: Small volume samples (10 μL) containing NANPs were irradiated with a 1064 nm laser to speed the evaporation of water and create an amorphous trehalose preservation matrix. Samples were then stored for 1 month at 4°C or 20°C. A FLIR C655 mid-IR camera was used to record the temperature of samples during processing. The trehalose matrix was characterized using polarized light imaging (PLI) to determine if crystallization occurred during processing or storage. Damage to LAD-processed NANPs was assessed after processing and storage using gel electrophoresis. Results: Based on the end moisture content (EMC) as a function time and the thermal histories of samples, a LAD processing time of 30 min is sufficient to achieve low EMCs for the 10 μL samples used in this study. PLI demonstrates that the trehalose matrix was resistant to crystallization during processing and after storage at 4°C and at room temperature. The native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results for DNA cubes, RNA cubes, and RNA rings indicate that the main structures of these NANPs were not damaged significantly after LAD processing and being stored at 4°C or at room temperature for 1 month. Conclusions: These preliminary studies indicate that LAD processing can stabilize NANPs for dry-state storage at room temperature, providing an alternative to refrigerated storage for these nanomedicine products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong Anh Lam
- Department of Physics and Optical Science and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Daniel P. Furr
- Department of Physics and Optical Science and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Allison Tran
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Riley Q. McKeough
- Department of Physics and Optical Science and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Damian Beasock
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Morgan Chandler
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kirill A. Afonin
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Susan R. Trammell
- Department of Physics and Optical Science and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
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Tran AN, Chandler M, Halman J, Beasock D, Fessler A, McKeough RQ, Lam PA, Furr DP, Wang J, Cedrone E, Dobrovolskaia MA, Dokholyan NV, Trammell SR, Afonin KA. Anhydrous Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles for Storage and Handling at Broad Range of Temperatures. Small 2022; 18:e2104814. [PMID: 35128787 PMCID: PMC8976831 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202104814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in nanotechnology now allow for the methodical implementation of therapeutic nucleic acids (TNAs) into modular nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) with tunable physicochemical properties which can match the desired biological effects, provide uniformity, and regulate the delivery of multiple TNAs for combinatorial therapy. Despite the potential of novel NANPs, the maintenance of their structural integrity during storage and shipping remains a vital issue that impedes their broader applications. Cold chain storage is required to maintain the potency of NANPs in the liquid phase, which greatly increases transportation costs. To promote long-term storage and retention of biological activities at higher temperatures (e.g., +50 °C), a panel of representative NANPs is first exposed to three different drying mechanisms-vacuum concentration (SpeedVac), lyophilization (Lyo), and light-assisted drying (LAD)-and then rehydrated and analyzed. While SpeedVac primarily operates using heat, Lyo avoids temperature increases by taking advantage of pressure reduction and LAD involves a near-infrared laser for uniform drying in the presence of trehalose. This work compares and defines refinements crucial in formulating an optimal strategy for producing stable, fully functional NANPs and presents a forward advancement in their development for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison N Tran
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Morgan Chandler
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Justin Halman
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Damian Beasock
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Adam Fessler
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Riley Q McKeough
- Department of Physics and Optical Science, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Phuong Anh Lam
- Department of Physics and Optical Science, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Daniel P Furr
- Department of Physics and Optical Science, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Edward Cedrone
- Nanotechnology Characterization Lab, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Marina A Dobrovolskaia
- Nanotechnology Characterization Lab, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Nikolay V Dokholyan
- Department of Pharmacology, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Susan R Trammell
- Department of Physics and Optical Science, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Kirill A Afonin
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
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Young MA, Furr DP, McKeough RQ, Elliott GD, Trammell SR. Light-assisted drying for anhydrous preservation of biological samples: optical characterization of the trehalose preservation matrix. Biomed Opt Express 2020; 11:801-816. [PMID: 32133224 PMCID: PMC7041451 DOI: 10.1364/boe.376630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based drugs have been developed to treat a variety of conditions and assays use immobilized capture proteins for disease detection. Freeze-drying is currently the standard for the preservation of proteins, but this method is expensive and requires lengthy processing times. Anhydrous preservation in a trehalose amorphous solid matrix offers a promising alternative to freeze-drying. Light assisted drying (LAD) is a processing method to create an amorphous trehalose matrix. Proteins suspended in a trehalose solution are dehydrated using near-infrared laser light. The laser radiation accelerates drying and as water is removed the trehalose forms a protective matrix. In this work, LAD samples are characterized to determine the crystallization kinetics of the trehalose after LAD processing and the distribution of amorphous trehalose in the samples. These characteristics influence the long-term stability of the samples. Polarized light imaging revealed that LAD processed samples are stable against crystallization during low-humidity storage at room temperature. Scanning white light interferometry and Raman spectroscopy indicated that trehalose was present across samples in an amorphous form. In addition, differential scanning microcalorimetry was used to measure the thermodynamic characteristics of the protein lysozyme after LAD processing. These results demonstrate that LAD does not change the properties of this protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison A. Young
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Physics and Optical Science, Charlotte, NC 28226, USA
| | - Daniel P. Furr
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Physics and Optical Science, Charlotte, NC 28226, USA
| | - Riley Q. McKeough
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Physics and Optical Science, Charlotte, NC 28226, USA
| | - Gloria D. Elliott
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Charlotte, NC 28226, USA
| | - Susan R. Trammell
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Physics and Optical Science, Charlotte, NC 28226, USA
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