Silica Microcapsules for Long‐Term, Robust, and Reliable Room Temperature RNA Preservation
Abstract
As a consequence of the latest revolutionary discoveries on its functions, RNA is certainly the hottest topic at the moment, being an exceptional tool in biology as well as in medicine. For the various applications, a proper RNA storage is required to prevent the degradation of this extremely unstable molecule. Here a novel freezing‐free RNA storage strategy is presented, based on its encapsulation in silica spheres. The silica microcapsules protect the RNA by providing a water‐free environment. In this way RNA can be safely stored for prolonged periods of time at ambient and elevated temperatures, maintaining its original integrity, as proved by gel‐electrophoresis, capillary electrophoresis, and real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR). The RNA degradation rate at 65 °C in silica microcapsules is approximately ten times smaller in comparison to dry RNA samples or to samples stored in RNAstable matrix, a commercially available product. Moreover, RNA half‐life at 65 °C is nearly identical to that of DNA within the silica microcapsules. Samples intended for use in gene expression are compatible with further analysis (RT‐qPCR, Sanger sequencing). The novel storage technology permits to safely handle, store, and transport RNA samples, avoiding the expensive shipments and the problems of space presented by freezing‐based strategies.
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Encapsulation of DNA in silica nanoparticles is one of the most effective methods for DNA preservation and was employed in this work.
“One of the most effective methods is the encapsulation of DNA in silica nanoparticles, which has been versatilely used in the recent past and was therefore also employed in this work.[10,21,22]”
From Integrating DNA Encapsulates and Digital Microfluidics for Automated Data Storage in DNA (2022) · cites this paper as [21]
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- Authors
- Puddu, M., Stark, W. J., & Grass, R. N.
- Affiliations
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Grass, Robert N.
- Venue
- Advanced Healthcare Materials
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2015-04-20
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 1332-1338
- ISSN
- 2192-2640 (ISSN-L)
- 2192-2659
- OpenAlex
- W2061102393
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 1.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Advanced Healthcare Materials (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA Research and Splicing
- Keywords
- RNA preservation, silica microcapsules, RNA degradation, room temperature storage, RNA encapsulation, RNA stability, RT-qPCR, gene expression analysis, RNA transport
- MeSH terms
- Capsules, Hot Temperature, RNA, Silicon Dioxide, RNA Stability
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