Characterization and utility of immobilized metal affinity-functionalized cellulose membranes for point-of-care malaria diagnostics.

Immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) is a well-established technique for protein separation and purification. IMAC has been previously utilized to capture the malaria biomarker histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2) from blood, enhancing the sensitivity of field-appropriate diagnostic tools such as lateral flow assays. However, little work has been done to translate this technique to a truly field-usable design. In this study, IMAC-functionalized cellulose membranes are created and characterized fully for future use in applied malaria diagnostics. IMAC-functionalized cellulose membranes were investigated across a range of cellulose substrates, IMAC ligands, and divalent transition metals before use in a capture and elution flowthrough workflow. Following characterization and optimization, it was found that iminodiacetic acid bound to Zn(II) was the most promising ligand-metal pair, with three available coordination sites and a molar loading capacity of 57.7 µmol of metal/cm3 of cellulose. Using these parameters, more than 99% of HRP2 was captured from a large-volume lysed blood sample in a simple flow-through assay and 89% of the captured protein was eluted from the membrane using the chelating compound ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Use of this enhancement protocol on an in-house HRP2 lateral flow assay (LFA) yielded a limit of detection of 7 parasites/µL, a 15.8x enhancement factor compared to traditional LFA methods.

The Primarily Undergraduate Nanomaterials Cooperative: A New Model for Supporting Collaborative Research at Small Institutions on a National Scale.

The Primarily Undergraduate Nanomaterials Cooperative (PUNC) is an organization for research-active faculty studying nanomaterials at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), where undergraduate teaching and research go hand-in-hand. In this perspective, we outline the differences in maintaining an active research group at a PUI compared to an R1 institution. We also discuss the work of PUNC, which focuses on community building, instrument sharing, and facilitating new collaborations. Currently consisting of 37 members from across the United States, PUNC has created an online community consisting of its Web site (nanocooperative.org), a weekly online summer group meeting program for faculty and students, and a Discord server for informal conversations. Additionally, in-person symposia at ACS conferences and PUNC-specific conferences are planned for the future. It is our hope that in the years to come PUNC will be seen as a model organization for community building and research support at primarily undergraduate institutions.