(1282-C) Evaluation of Capillary Mediated Vitrification as an Alternative to Traditional Cold Temperature Storage for Kinase Assay Reagents
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST
Location: Exhibit Halls AB
Abstract: AssayQuant is a growing biotech company specializing in the development of sensor peptides that provide a quantitative picture of protein kinase activity over time via continuous measurement of chelation enhanced fluorescence. As a leader in kinome profiling and inhibitor potency and characterization, AssayQuant’s -80°C freezers hold thousands of samples of over 400 different protein kinases in addition to various other reagents utilized for assay execution and optimization. The prevalence of freezer-dependent storage exposes any organization to space, time, and cost concerns ranging from freezer procurement to placement and routine maintenance. Inadequate freezer storage conditions can lead to temperature fluctuations, potentially affecting sample integrity, or even complete equipment failure, risking total sample loss. This is especially true for smaller evolving companies where growth often outpaces infrastructure, and the high costs of reagent procurement and freezer storage can, at times, be prohibitive. Although alternative methods to cold temperature storage exist, they rely largely on long sample preparation times, extensive product-specific optimization, and often employ high temperature or shear stress environments that are generally incompatible with the preservation of protein kinase activity. Capillary-mediated vitrification (CMV) is an emerging technique that offers a promising solution to eliminate dependence on cold-temperature reagent storage and shipment, and overcome its associated risks, while at the same time avoiding the concerns prevalent in other methods of sample stabilization. AssayQuant Technologies has partnered with Upkara, a global leader in biopreservation, to assess the potential of capillary mediated vitrification as a viable alternative to its current cold storage solutions. Assay reagents preserved via CMV were evaluated alongside conventionally stored samples in the context of a continuous enzymatic assay using AssayQuant’s Phosphosens® technology. A viable alternative sample preservation approach and workflow is presented along with prospective applications geared towards both in-lab storage and product distribution.