A critical challenge in global healthcare and biotechnology is the “cold chain,” or the refrigerated storage and transportation networks needed to prevent degradation of protein-based medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic tests. This dependence on constant low temperatures is expensive and energy-intensive, often failing in areas lacking reliable power and leading to high waste rates. Now, a team from Oxford University’s School of Engineering has tested a promising alternative: a simple room-temperature drying technique that traps functional proteins in a stable sugar-based ‘glass’.
In a paper published in engineeringResearchers led by Professor Zhanfeng Cui detailed the success of matrix-assisted room temperature (MART) drying. The process involves mixing functional proteins and protective sugars (trehalose and dextran) and drying the solution on a biocompatible cellulose fibrous matrix at room temperature or evaluation temperature (~30 °C). The drying process can be performed in circulating drying air (MART-DA) or under vacuum (MART-V), completely avoiding freezing steps that often damage sensitive biomolecules.
The key to this method lies in the formation of microscopic “capillary bridges” between cellulose fibers. When the sugar solution dries, it forms a thin film that gently encapsulates the protein, preserving its three-dimensional structure and biological function. This mechanism was successfully demonstrated across four different temperature-sensitive targets: the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme, the cell proliferation-promoting fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), and a complex enzyme mixture (reverse transcriptase and Bst 2.0 polymerase) used in the COVID-19 RT-LAMP diagnostic test.
MART-dried LDH retained more than 90% of its activity after storage at 25 °C for 6 months, comparable to the performance of conventional cryopreservation. Importantly, FGF-2 dried using this method remained biologically active. Reconstitution after 1 week at 40 °C promoted stem cell proliferation as effectively as FGF-2 stored at −80 °C. Moreover, the complete RT-LAMP reagent set for COVID-19 detection was successfully thermally stabilized and remained sensitive enough to detect viral RNA even after storage at 40 °C for 1 week.
MART drying has several significant advantages over traditional freeze-drying (lyophilization). This reduces processing time from more than a day to around 3 hours (using vacuum), significantly reduces energy consumption, and eliminates the need for expensive specialized equipment. The use of a soft cellulose matrix also eliminates the fragility issues associated with previous glass fiber prototypes, making it safer and more amenable to direct applications such as embedding growth factors in wound dressings.
By enabling long-term storage of critical biologics at room temperature, this research paves the way to expanding access to advanced diagnostics and treatments in resource-poor environments, simplifying supply chains, and reducing the biopharmaceutical industry’s global carbon footprint.
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Reference magazines:
Yu, Y, others. (2026). Thermal stabilization of functional proteins by matrix-assisted room temperature drying. engineering. DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2025.08.045. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209580992600069X?via%3Dihub
