Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis Platform for in vitro Characterization of Engineered and Natural Nanoparticles in Biological Fluids

纳米颗粒(NPs)是纳米范围内(千分之一毫米)的颗粒，具有大小相关的特性。最近材料科学的研究已经成功地设计出了种类繁多的不同组成和性质(例如尺寸)的纳米粒子。还有一些NPs是人体自然产生的，负责重要的生物功能。细胞外小泡(EV)是由细胞分泌的天然NPs，用于与其他细胞交流。 尽管多年来进行了出色的个体研究，但我们预测NPs在生物环境中行为的能力仍然有限。这是因为研究方法依赖于在简单的人工解决方案中将NPs的行为与其天然属性联系起来。然而，当NPs与体内存在的不同生物流体相互作用时，它们的性质会发生变化。在某些情况下，NPs在生物体液中可能会团聚并变得不稳定。预计纳米粒子的浓度将直接影响其生物学性能。对于马尼托巴大学的材料科学家、纳米科学家和电动汽车生物学家来说，获得能够明确确定生物液体中NPs的大小和浓度的新技术至关重要。这将使UManitoba的研究人员能够产生关于天然和基因工程NPs真实行为的新知识，允许在全球舞台上这一领域的竞争，并最终使工程师和科学家能够开发出在人体内具有可预测和高效行为的NPs。 所要求的纳米颗粒跟踪分析(NTA)平台将填补UManitoba的这一重要空白，并将有助于将UManitoba建立为先进纳米材料和电动汽车生物学的领先国际中心。NTA平台能够利用纳米粒子在流体中扩散时的光散射来实时跟踪单个粒子。这是唯一一种可以在复杂的生物液体中产生可靠、精确和准确的NPs尺寸和浓度测量的技术。最新NTA平台的荧光检测能力可以检测组成不同的NPs混合物中的亚群。NTA已成为监管机构衡量这些指标的黄金标准。UManitoba的几名研究人员将使用这一工具来支持基础研究项目，以研究工程NPs和电动汽车与生物分子和细胞的相互作用，并探索开发具有可预测人体行为的新药物输送系统的新机会。我们的HQP将获得独特的机会，从事材料科学、材料和生物医学工程、纳米技术和生物学等职业所需的尖端培训。因此，购买NTA设备是及时的，可以刺激纳米科学和电动汽车生物学领域的进步，并培训新的人员掌握最先进的纳米技术技能，以满足加拿大市场的需求。

Nanoparticles (NPs) are particles in the nanometer range (1/1000th of a millimeter) with size-dependent properties. Recent research in material science has resulted in successful engineering of wide varieties of NPs with different composition and properties (e.g. size). There are also NPs that are naturally produced by the body and are responsible for important biological functions. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are natural NPs secreted from the cells to communicate with other cells. Despite years of excellent individual investigations, our ability to predict the behaviour of NPs in the biological environment is still limited. This is because research approaches rely on relating the behavior of NPs to their native properties in simple artificial solutions. However, the properties of NPs change when they interact with the different biological fluids present in the body. In some situations, NPs could agglomerate and become unstable in biological fluids. The concentration of NPs is expected to directly impact their biological performance. It is crucial for material scientists, nanoscientists and EV biologists at the University of Manitoba to access novel technologies that allow for unambiguous determination of size and concentration of NPs in biological fluids. This will allow researchers at UManitoba to generate new knowledge on the true behaviour of natural and engineered NPs, allowing for competition in this area on the global stage and ultimately enabling engineers and scientists to develop NPs with predictable and efficient behaviour in the body. The requested nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) platform will fill this important void at UManitoba, and will help establish UManitoba as a leading international centre for advanced nanomaterial and EV biology. The NTA platform enables real-time single particle tracking using the light scattering of NPs while they are diffusing in fluids. This is the only technique that can generate reliable, precise and accurate size and concentration measurements of NPs in complex biological fluids. Fluorescence detection capability of the newest NTA platforms can detect sub-populations within a mixture of NPs that differ in composition. NTA has become the gold standard for these measurements by regulatory agencies. Several researchers at UManitoba will use this tool to support fundamental research programs to study the interaction of engineered NPs and EVs with biomolecules and cells, and explore new opportunities for developing new drug delivery systems with predictable behaviour in the body. Our HQP will be provided with unique opportunities to engage in cutting-edge training required for careers in material science, material and biomedical engineering, nanotechnology and biology. The purchase of this NTA equipment is thus timely to stimulate advances in the areas of nanoscience and EV biology, and train new personnel in state-of-the-art nanotechnology skills that will satisfy Canadian market needs.