Patent ID: 8460859

Claim:
A composition for preserving a sample comprising proteins, said composition comprising: a. a fixative that stabilizes the proteins in the sample and that has a sufficient water content for a stabilizer and/or a permeability enhancing agent to be soluble therein; b. a stabilizer, comprising (i) a kinase inhibitor and (ii) a phosphatase inhibitor, and, optionally, (iii) a protease inhibitor; and c. a permeability enhancing agent, wherein the proteins are phosphoproteins and wherein the fixative comprises methanol or ethanol, the kinase inhibitor comprises staurosporine or genistein, the phosphatase inhibitor comprises sodium orthovanadate or beta glycerophosphate, and the permeability enhancing agent comprises water, dimethylsulfoxide, or polyethylene glycol.