Particle Analyzer for Nanotechnology Applications

这场大流行加剧了迫切需要开发新的基于纳米技术的疫苗和测试。为此，需要新的纳米材料。这一领域研究的基石是利用zetasizer阐明纳米系统的物理化学性质，特别是尺寸和表面电荷的测量。我们需要一个新的Zetasizer来取代一个老化的仪器，这个仪器被大量使用，是萨斯喀彻温大学唯一的这类仪器。尺寸和表面电荷测量基于光散射，这是唯一提供定量高分辨率数据的技术。评估纳米结构尺寸和形态的替代方法，如高分辨率电子显微镜或原子力显微镜和荧光显微镜，不提供定量数据；需要昂贵的仪器；生产量低；需要处理可能改变其固有行为的样品。此外，这些替代技术都不适合测量表面电荷。我们由六名研究人员组成的团队在新生物材料的开发、核酸和蛋白质的纳米载体工程、疫苗的开发以及医疗器械功能的改进等领域进行研究。所有这些领域都严重依赖于Zetasizer的使用，以优化各种应用的纳米结构的组成和性质，并建立结构-功能/活性关系。我们属于三个研究团体：药物发现和开发研究组、疫苗和传染病组织以及生物医学工程。我们与该工具的合作已导致多次会议发言和特邀演讲，并在影响较大的期刊上发表了200多篇文章。Zetasizer在催化我们的团队成员和其他研究人员之间的合作方面发挥了重要作用。这也是HQP接触到彼此的项目并从中学习并开始对话的共同要素。到目前为止，我们的团队已经培训了70多名在他们的研究项目中使用Zetasizer的HQP。我们领域的多样性对于培养HQP来说是非常宝贵的，他们在多学科领域发展了广泛的专业知识，包括制药科学、化学、兽医科学、疫苗学和工程学。在他们的培训中，我们的HQP阐明了纳米材料的基本属性，如尺寸和表面电荷，并获得了设计新的递送系统和疫苗以及设计新的医疗设备的市场技能。

The pandemic heightened the need to urgently develop new nanotechnology-based vaccines and tests. For this, new nanomaterials are required. The cornerstone of research in this area is the elucidation of physicochemical properties of nanosystems, specifically size and surface charge measurements, using a zetasizer. We require a new zetasizer to replace an aging instrument that is heavily utilized and is the only instrument of this kind at the University of Saskatchewan. Size and surface charge measurement are based on light scattering, the only technology that provides quantitative high-resolution data. Alternative methods for assessing the size and morphology of nanostructures, such as high-resolution electron or atomic-force microscopy and fluorescent microscopy do not provide quantitative data; require expensive instrumentation; are low throughput; and require processing of samples that might alter their native behaviour. Moreover, none of these alternative techniques is suitable to measure surface charge. Our team of six investigators conducts research in the areas of development of new biomaterials, engineering nanocarriers for nucleic acids and proteins, development of vaccines, and improvement of function of medical devices. All these areas rely heavily on the use of a zetasizer to optimize composition and properties of nanostructures for a variety of applications and establish structure-function/activity relationships. We belong to three research communities: Drug Discovery and Development Research Group, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, and Biomedical Engineering. Our work with the instrument has resulted in numerous conference presentations and invited talks and more than 200 publications in high-impact journals. The zetasizer has been instrumental in catalyzing collaborations among our team members and other researchers. It is also a common element enabling HQP to be exposed to and learn from each other's projects and start conversations. To date, our team has trained over 70 HQP who used the zetasizer in their research projects. The diversity of our areas is invaluable for training HQP who develop broad expertise in multidisciplinary fields, including pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, veterinary sciences, vaccinology, and engineering. During their training, our HQP elucidate the basic properties of nanomaterials such as size and surface charge and gain marketable skills to engineer new delivery systems and vaccines, and design new medical devices.