Leiden University uses NanoSight Characterization
System to aid their drug delivery research programs

The Division of Drug Delivery Technology is part of the Leiden/Amsterdam Center for Drug Research (LACDR), a research institute located at the Gorlaeus laboratories in Leiden in the Netherlands. The group focuses primarily on vaccine delivery and on protein formulation and characterization with respect to immunogenicity. Nanoparticle size and count is vital to these research activities and the Division has selected the NanoSight LM20 to aid their programs.

The leader of the team is Professor Wim Jiskoot. He describes what is important for his research: "The vaccine delivery group aims to develop innovative delivery systems, such as polymeric nanoparticles and liposomes, for the delivery of different types of vaccines through the conventional (injection) or needle-free administration routes (such as transcutaneous or intranasal delivery). It is very important to know the size of the delivery systems as the size can influence the uptake by the cells of the immune system, the diffusion through the skin, the release of vaccine components, and thus the immune response."

The protein characterization group seeks to understand the causes of unwanted immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins and develop transgenic mouse models capable of predicting immunogenicity of human/humanized proteins in a preclinical setting. Professor Jiskoot continues: "For the protein group, a good size characterization of protein aggregates is essential to better understand which size class is responsible for triggering unwanted immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins which is believed to be related to the presence of aggregates in the protein formulations. The group aims to stress and thoroughly characterize protein formulations to then test which ones are more immunogenic after their injection in the mouse models."

Prior to using NanoSight's LM20 system, the group used a variety of established particle characterization techniques such as Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Light Obscuration Particle Counting (LOPC) and Electron Microscopy (EM). However, each has deficiencies in terms of parameters such as sample preparation and speed of use. The main user is Vasco Filipe and he has seen several benefits which make the NanoSight his system of preference. "We are able to visualize the sample which gives us confidence in our results. Individual particle tracking enables a much better peak resolution than DLS so making it better suited to study polydispersed samples. It gives an approximate particle concentration while letting us see bacterial contamination easily as "swimming" particles."

To learn more about nanoparticle characterization using Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), view website: www.nanosight.com and register for the latest issue of NanoTrail, the company's electronic newsletter.  Refer to page 282 

Space technology delivers quantum leap in hospital X-rays

Revolutionary technology, originally developed for use on space satellites, is being used to design X-ray machines, no bigger than a laptop, that can travel quickly and easily to patients in hospitals, care homes and accident sites. Radius Diagnostics Ltd ('Radius') is poised to bring this technology one step closer, as it becomes the latest tenant of the European Space Agency's Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC Harwell) in Oxfordshire.

Incorporating cutting-edge technology originally developed by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) for ESA satellites, Radius has been working with the California nanoSystems Institute (CnSI) to commercialise an innovative 'X-ray source on a chip', known as MAX (Microemitter Array X-ray), originally developed at UCLA.

A scanner based on MAX technology will be 20 times lighter than any existing portable X-ray system, allowing it to be more easily operated at the bedside or accident site, and avoiding causing further discomfort to patients by moving them to X-ray suites. A truly portable MAX based system weighing less than 10kg, will save hospital staff valuable time as current moveable X-ray machines, weighing 250kg or more, can take considerable time to position and get ready. 

Mark Evans, CEO and co-founder of Radius Diagnostics, said "MAX will transform many applications of X-rays and we are thrilled that one of its first applications, allowing truly portable X-ray systems to travel to the patient, will improve patient comfort, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and save lives.  The transformation that MAX will achieve is as great as the shift from old-style TVs to today's flat screens.  However, it will be the reduction in cost and the opportunity for miniaturisation that will create a revolution.  Many of the applications in healthcare, security and industry that MAX will make possible have not even been envisioned yet."

Production costs will be less than half the cost of any current equivalent, making widespread use affordable; a doctor's surgery might even have its own X-ray system. Also, MAX sources are pixelated in the same way as an LCD computer screen, allowing the physician to selectively control the emission of X-rays and enable the patient's radiation burden to be reduced.

Radius is now set to take the development and commercialisation of this technology one step further as it becomes the newest tenant at the European Space Agency's Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC Harwell).  The BIC provides the ideal environment for pioneering, innovative companies like Radius to translate space technologies and applications into viable businesses in non-space industries.

As a tenant at the ESA BIC, Radius Diagnostics will benefit from an impressive support package, which includes more than £40,000 towards further technology development; easy access to both STFC and ESA technical expertise, and a dedicated business champion from STFC to help with business planning and guidance. Radius is now gearing up to develop a production-ready model of the new system, having proven the technology in the lab, which could be deployed in clinical, industrial and security settings within three years.

Paul Vernon, Head of New Business at STFC, said: "The space sector can bring huge social and economic benefits to the UK economy. By working with both STFC and ESA scientists at the ESA Business  Incubation Centre, Radius Diagnostics is already on its way to creating a sustainable, profitable business through technology that could make the world of difference to the elderly and seriously ill, to name just one application."

Ultimately this new, lightweight, X-ray technology could be used by paramedics at patients' own homes, and even by the armed forces in the field. The Radius team sees a world where patients will be imaged ahead of transportation, allowing the images to be read immediately at the receiving hospital while the patient is in transit, or before even being moved if a spinal injury is suspected, saving vital time in treating critical injuries.

The development of the MAX based source is the result of a major effort between STFC's Micro and Nanotechnology Centre and the CnSI. It is also using state of the art 3D imaging at the University of Manchester to develop key optical components. Additionally, Radius is leveraging resources from Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility at Manchester University and the X-ray Imaging Research Facilities at Nottingham Trent University.

Development of the new source was aided by a £100,000 investment by the Technology Strategy Board and also by assistance from the South East England Development Agency.

Radius was recently announced UK start-up winner of the Global Security Challenge ('GSC').  Supported by US Government agency Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) and industry giant BAE Systems plc, and judged by the UK Ministry of Defence and the US Office of Naval Research, the GSC is designed to attract unique technologies with great disruptive potential.  For further information, view website: www.radius-health.com

ESA BIC Harwell in profile
The Harwell BIC is managed by STFC Innovations Ltd and is designed to create new business opportunities and jobs by translating space technology into viable business ideas in the non-space marketplace. It supports 10 companies a year in a high-tech environment.

European Space Agency in profile
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe's gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.   ESA is an international organisation with 18 Member States. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. For further information, view website: www.esa.net 

The California NanoSystems Institute in profile
The California NanoSystems Institute is an integrated research facility located at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. Its mission is to foster interdisciplinary collaborations in nanoscience and nanotechnology; to train a new generation of scientists, educators and technology leaders; to generate partnerships with industry; and to contribute to the economic development and the social well-being of California, the United States and the world. The CNSI was established in 2000 with $100 million from the state of California. The total amount of research funding in nanoscience and nanotechnology awarded to CNSI members has risen to over $900 million. UCLA CNSI members are drawn from UCLA's College of Letters and Science, the David Geffen School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, the School of Public Health and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. They are engaged in measuring, modifying and manipulating atoms and molecules -- the building blocks of our world. Their work is carried out in an integrated laboratory environment. This dynamic research setting has enhanced understanding of phenomena at the nanoscale and promises to produce important discoveries in health, energy, the environment and information technology. For further information, view website: www.cnsi.ucla.edu

University of California, Los Angeles  in profile
UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrolment of nearly 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 300 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize. For further information, view website: www.ucla.edu

STFC in profile
The Science and Technology Facilities Council is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and tackling some of the most significant challenges facing society such as meeting our future energy needs, monitoring and understanding climate change, and global security.

The Council has a broad science portfolio and works with the academic and industrial communities to share its expertise in materials science, space and ground-based astronomy technologies, laser science, microelectronics, wafer scale manufacturing, particle and nuclear physics, alternative energy production, radio communications and radar.

For further information, view website: www.stfc.ac.uk or e-mail: wendy.ellison@stfc.ac.uk