Ice recrystallisation inhibiting polymers prevent irreversible protein aggregation during solvent-free cryopreservation as additives and as covalent polymer-protein conjugates.

ABSTRACT: Protein storage and transport is essential to deliver therapies (biologics), enzymes for biotechnological applications, and underpins fundamental structural and molecular biology. To enable proteins to be stored and transported it is often essential to freeze them, requiring cryoprotectants such as glycerol or trehalose. Here we explore the mechanisms by which poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA, a potent ice recrystallisation inhibitor protects proteins during freeze/thaw to enable solvent-free cryopreservation with a focus on comparing mixing, verses polymer-protein conjugation. A panel of poly(vinyl alcohol)s are investigated including commercial, well-defined (from RAFT), and PVA-protein conjugates, to map out PVA's efficacy. Enzymatic activity recovery of lactate dehydrogenase was found to corre

SUBMITTER: Fayter AER 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7709485 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature