Interested in improving your pharmaceutical sciences research with the help of our analytical solutions? Whether you’re a student, a researcher, or a professor, we’ve got a wide range of useful articles on the most relevant application examples of drug discovery, drug delivery, and formulation.
Pharmaceutical Sciences covers a wide range of topics within chemistry, biochemistry, and medicine. The materials researched and the analytical equipment used often overlap with Agriculture and Food Sciences and Biological Sciences – so feel free to check out those pages for more useful information! Method abbreviations are explained at the bottom of this page.
Drug discovery
Drug discovery lies at the interface of disciplines such as biological sciences and medicine. It often involves expertise in chemistry, biochemistry, and subjects such as protein science, biotherapeutics, and nanobiotechnology. Different drugs can involve specializations, such as:
- Genetics
- Hematology
- Vaccines
- Virology
Modern drug discovery in the lab can involve automation, allowing researchers to investigate wide-ranging possibilities.
Our application notes show how our instruments are used in a range of drug discovery solutions. You can find a selection below – take a look to discover more!
Drug Discovery | Method | Sample | Application Note Title (Web link) |
|---|---|---|---|
Antibody characterization in human blood plasma | GCI | Three SARS-CoV-2 antigens and patient plasma samples (diluted to 5%) | Antibody characterization from COVID-19 patient plasma binding to SARS-COV-2 antigens |
APIs - crystalline and amorphous content | XRD | Amorphous/crystalline mixture | |
APIs and Excipients - crystallization monitoring | XRD | Slurry of Lactose (as a model) in ethanol | |
APIs and Excipients - particle size screening | LD | Lactose | |
APIs and Excipients - automated identification of polymorphs using Raman | IMG | Acetaminophen | Discriminating between polymorphs of acetaminophen using Morphologically Directed Raman Spectroscopy |
APIs and Excipients - Composition and polymorph identification | XRD | Ventolin™ (salbutamol) | Diffraction on aerosol drugs. Measurements on small quantities of pharmaceutical samples |
APIs and Excipients - crystallite size | XRD | Azithromycin antibiotic | Crystallite size determination of a pharmaceutical compound by Rietveld analysis |
APIs and Excipients - crystallite size with temperature and humidity | XRD | Salbutamol | Automatic condensation-free combined temperature-humidity control for XRD studies |
APIs and excipients - high throughput identification of polymorphs by XRD | XRD | Cimetidine | |
Binding Kinetics of a G-Protein-Coupled receptor | GCI | GPCR and a 725 Da mutated neurotensin | |
Cosmetic ingredients - preparation for ICP | SPE | Cosmetics – harmful trace elements – sample preparation | |
DNA Vaccines - molecular weight | SEC | Plasmid DNAs, a mixture of three topo isomers: supercoiled (SC), open circle (OC), and linear (lin) | |
Drug development - assay development | ITC | Various proteins, peptides, small molecule compounds, and in buffers | From assay development to lead optimization using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry |
Drug discovery - Enzymes | ITC | Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (Vps34) | |
Drug discovery - microcalorimetry of APIs | ITC | APIs, small molecules, and proteins | Application of microcalorimetry in drug discovery at Exelixis |
Drug discovery - protein interactions | DSC | Protein/protein interactions, therapeutics | |
Excipients - molecular weight | SEC | Cellulose derivatives (HEC), (HPC), (HPMP), and (HBMC) | |
Excipients - particle shape variations | IMG | Two excipients from different suppliers | |
Excipients - particle size and shape | IMG | Lactose as a model for excipients | |
Excipients - particle size distribution | LD | Lactose | Measuring the particle size of small quantities of dry powders using the Aero S and Mastersizer 3000 |
GCI and kinetic screening with the Creoptix® WAVEdelta | GCI | Collection of small molecules | Molecular interaction analysis by Grating-Coupled interferometry (GCI) |
Off-rate screening: optimising hit-to-lead | GCI | Eighty-three (83) crude reaction mixtures (CRM) | |
Oxygen carriers - particle size, stability | DLS | Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOC) | Size, Oligomeric State and Thermal Stability of Chemically Modified Hemoglobins |
Small molecules: kinetic screening with waveRAPID | GCI | Target protein against library of small molecules | Pushing the boundaries in pharmaceutical hit discovery with the novel waveRAPID® kinetic assay |
Small molecules: large target-to-analyte molecular weight | GCI | Various small molecule inhibitors of Carbonic Anhydrase II (CAII) | Sensitive kinetic analysis of small molecules binding to large drug targets |
Therapeutic Proteins - particle size | DLS | Antibodies | |
Therapeutic Proteins - stability | DSC | Immunoglobulins, IgG, and IgE | Accelerating biotherapeutic process development using Differential Scanning Calorimetry |
Drug delivery
Drug delivery helps ensure that the process of drug release into the human body is safe, effective, and targeted. It can range from relatively simple oral dose tablets to highly sophisticated, targeted drugs such as those used in gene therapy or chemotherapy.
Below, you’ll find a selection of application notes and articles showing how our analytical instruments can provide drug delivery solutions. Feel free to explore them and learn more!
Drug Delivery | Method | Sample | Application Note Title (Web link) |
|---|---|---|---|
Controlled drug release - size and zeta potential with temperature | DLS | Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) coated Silica particles | Thermo- and pH-Sensitive PNIPAM-Coated Silica Particles Studied Using Light Scattering |
Encapsulation - degradation, molecular weight | SEC | PLA-PEO-PLA polymers | |
Encapsulation - size and concentration | NTA | Polylactic Acid (PLA) particles | Assessing Drug Encapsulation Efficiency using Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis |
Encapsulation - size and zeta potential | DLS | Pharmaceutical manufacturing/ agriculture | |
Inhalers - foreign particulate matter | IMG | General inhaler formulation | |
Inhalers - particle size, shape | IMG | Metered-dose inhaler (MDI) for lung disorders | |
Lipid Emulsions - Induced Flocculation | DLS/ELS | Calcium + Intralipid (soybean oil, egg phospholipids, and glycerin) | |
Lipid Emulsions - size, polydispersity in concentrated solutions | DLS | Oil-in-water, parenteral nutrition emulsions | |
Lipid Emulsions – zeta potential in concentrated solutions | ELS | Intralipid (soy bean oil, egg phospholipids, and glycerin) | Zeta Potential Characterization of Concentrated Lipid Emulsions |
Liposomes - size and concentration | NTA | Poly(β-amino ester)s (PBAEs), Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) | |
Liposomes - size and concentration | IMG | Hydrogenated soy phosphatidylcholine (HSPC)/(5-cholesten-3ß-ol)CHOL | Characterizing the size and concentration of liposomes using multi-angle dynamic light scattering |
Liposomes - size and zeta potential | DLS | Anionic and cationic liposomes | Size and zeta potential characterization of liposomes using the Zetasizer Nano |
Liposomes – zeta potential | ELS | Complexes with DNA | The use of zeta potential and DLS measurements in gene therapy research |
Liposomes- characterization methods | XRD | White paper | Characterization of liposomes by several complementary techniques |
Nasal Spray - particle size versus time | LD | Nasal spray | |
Nasal spray - particle size vs actuation method | LD | Nasal spray | Understanding the performance of nasal spray drug delivery systems using the Malvern Spraytec |
Nasal Spray - sorting particle size and shape | IMG | Nasal spray | |
Nebulizers - particle size | LD | Spray solution | Particle characterization of inhalation drug suspensions on the FPIA-3000 |
Polymer carriers - conjugate levels | SEC | Doxorubicin (Dox) and Polyglutamic acid (PG) | Optimizing drug delivery polymer conjugate levels using Advanced Multi-Detector GPC |
Suspensions - particle size distribution | LD | Sodium alginate, sodium bicarbonate, and calcium carbonate | Understanding the functionality of suspension-based pharmaceutical products |
Suspensions - particle stability, Zeta potential | DLS | Various particles in apolar solvent systems | The influence of electrostatic stabilization in apolar suspension formulations |
Tablets - chemical phase quantification | XRD | Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, and Manufacturing | |
Tablets - particle size and shape | IMG | Generic drugs as powdered tablets | In vitro bioequivalence studies for oral solid dose products using the Morphologi ID |
Formulation
No matter how they are administered, all medicines need to be delivered in manageable formulations that have a known shelf life and don’t deteriorate into ineffective or toxic forms. In personal healthcare and cosmetics, the stability, look, and feel of a formulation is also an important part of making a product attractive. Formulation requires expertise in chemistry, process engineering, and specific pharmaceutical sciences.
Below you’ll find a selection of application notes and articles on drug formulation research. Enjoy exploring them and finding out more!
Formulation | Method | Sample | Application Note Title (Web Link) |
|---|---|---|---|
Creams - particle size and shape | IMG | General topical skin cream | |
Creams - particle size, Zeta potential | DLS / ELS | Encapsulated retinol system, retinol (vitamin A), waxes, anionic and ionic surfactants | |
Creams - particles Chemical Identification | MDRS | General topical skin cream | |
Excipients - crystalline/amorphous ratio | XRD | Filler and dilutant: alpha-lactose monohydrate | |
Excipients - particle size | IMG | Milled lactose fines (LH210), coarse lactose carrier (LH100), and blended with budesonide | |
Excipients and additives - Protein stabilization | ITC / DSC | ProX, Polysorbate-80, and phenol | |
Gels - crystalline particle size and shape | MDRS | Benzoyl peroxide and adapalene in Epiduo gel | |
Liquids - size distributions in microemulsions | DLS | API, oil surfactant, and alcohol in water | Microemulsion characterization using dynamic light scattering |
Liquids - nanomaterial dose | NTA | Cerium (IV) Oxide, Titanium dioxide nanoparticles | |
Manufacturing - materials identification in Quality Control | XRF | General pharmaceuticals | |
Manufacturing - trace elements | XRF | Cd, Pb, As, Hg, Co, V, Ni, Tl, Pd, Ir, Rh, Ru, Se, Pt, Mo, Cu, and Cr | |
Manufacturing - virus stability | DLS | Three adeno-associated virus (AAV) samples | |
Nasal spray - APIs in mixtures | MDRS | Inhalers | |
Ointment - particle size and shape | IMG | General ointment | |
Oral solid dosage - analytical methods review | Various | White paper - review article | Analytical techniques with a place in the oral solid dosage formulation toolkit |
Oral solid dosage - Bioequivalence | MDRS | Painkillers | |
Oral solid dosage - API particle size | LD | Tablet prepared as a suspension | |
Pastes - elemental identification | XRF | Toothpaste | |
Powders - particle agglomeration | IMG & MDRS | General examples including APIs | Identification of Agglomerates Using Automated Image Analysis |
Powders - particle size | MDRS | Cold remedy formulations compared | Deformulation of a pharmaceutical formulation using the Morphologi ID |
Protein formulations - aggregation | NTA | Protein aggregates | High-resolution sizing and concentration measurements of sub-visible protein aggregates using NTA |
Protein formulations - aggregation | MDRS | Lysozyme (spiked with latex spheres) | Characterization of protein aggregates by Morphologically Directed Raman Spectroscopy |
Protein formulations - antibody interactions | DLS | Monoclonal antibodies (mAb), human serum albumin (HSA), and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) | Using A2 and kD to assess protein interactions in formulations |
Protein formulations - lipid encapsulation, particle size changes | DLS | Lipid polymer | pH and Temperature Responsive Novel Nanoparticles Characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering |
Protein formulations - liquid formulation stability | DSC | Monoclonal antibody, lyophilized | |
Protein formulations - long term stability | DSC | Antibodies and Fc-conjugated proteins | Correlating long term biotherapeutic stability with a fast analytical technique |
Protein formulations - size, aggregation, stability | SEC | Human Ig in phosphate-buffered saline | Protein stability measurements amplified: Combining SEC-MALS and DLS to maximize data output |
Protein formulations - role of stabilizers vs pH | DLS | Recombumin | Formulation stability evaluation using light scattering techniques |
Stabilizers - crystal structure with temperature and humidity | XRD | Trehalose | |
Stabilizers - crystal structure with temperature and humidity | XRD | Trehalose | |
Protein formulations - stability | DLS | Insulin in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) buffer | |
Protein formulations - stability in solution | DSC | Proteins | |
Protein Formulations - stabilizing excipients | DLS | Arginine | |
Protein formulations - Stabilizers vs temperature | DLS | Recombumin | Using Light Scattering to Study the Thermal Stability of Recombumin |
Protein formulations - viscosity | SEC | Bovine serum albumin in histidine and arginine buffers. | |
Sprays - particle size | LD | Hairspray | Characterizing personal and domestic aerosol products using the Malvern Spraytec |
Tablet Coating – particle size | LD | Tablet coating containing Titanium Oxide | Optimizing the processing of pigments using particle size analysis |
Therapeutic Antibodies - characteristics for stability | DSC | Parent and engineered monoclonal antibodies | Engineering monoclonal antibodies to enhance drugability: A case study |
Therapeutic Antibodies - molecular weight | SEC | Antibodies, in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) | The power of multi-detector SEC in the analysis of antibodies |
Therapeutic Antibodies - molecular weight | SEC | Immunoglobulin G (IgG) | Molecular weight measurements of an antibody using Viscotek SEC-MALS 20 |
Therapeutic Antibodies - purification, elution buffers | DSC | Antibody purification - various elution buffers | Manufacturing biotherapeutic faster using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) |
Therapeutic Antibodies - stability | DSC | Genetically tailored antibody fragments | Selecting the most stable biotherapeutic antibody using Differential Scanning Calorimetry |
Therapeutic Antibodies - stability in buffer solutions | DSC | Antibodies in a range of buffers | Preformulation and stability studies of biotherapeutics using DSC |
Abbreviations explained
Our products and technologies are described on the Products pages. Below you can find a quick reference to the properties measured by our instruments, together with the measurement name and its abbreviation. Click on each method to find out more about it!
Abbreviation | Method Name | Instrument(s) | Measured Property |
|---|---|---|---|
DLS | Zetasizer | Molecular size, hydrodynamic radius RH, particle size, size distribution, stability, concentration, agglomeration | |
ELS | Zetasizer | Zeta potential, particle charge, suspension stability, protein mobility | |
ITC | MicroCal ITC | Binding affinity, thermodynamics of molecular reactions in solution | |
DSC | Microcal DSC | Denaturing (unfolding) of large molecules, stability of macromolecules | |
GCI | Creoptix WAVEsystem | Real-time binding kinetics and binding affinity, label free with fluidics | |
IMG | Morphologi 4 | Imaging of particles, automated shape and size measurement | |
MDRS | Morphologi 4-ID | Imaging of particles, automated shape and size measurement, chemical identification and contaminant detection | |
LD | Mastersizer
| Particle size, size distribution | |
NTA | NanoSight | Particle size, size distribution, and concentration | |
SEC or GPC | Size exclusion chromatography / | OMNISEC | Molecular size, molecular weight, oligomeric state, polymer or protein size and molecular structure |
SPE | Le Neo
| Fused Bead Sample preparation for XRF, Peroxide solution preparations for ICP, Flux weighing for beadmaking | |
UV/ Vis/ NIR/ SWIR | Ultra-violet / visible / near infra-red / short wave infra-red spectrometry | LabSpec
| Material identification and analysis, moisture, mineral, carbon content. Ground truthing for airborne and satellite spectroscopic techniques. |
PFTNA | CNA | In-line elemental analysis | |
XRD-C | Aeris
| Molecular crystal structure refinement, crystalline phase identification and quantification, crystalline to amorphous ratio, crystallite size analysis | |
XRD-M | Empyrean
| Residual stress, texture | |
XRD-CT | Empyrean | 3D imaging of solids, porosity, and density | |
SAXS | Empyrean | Nanoparticles, size, shape and structure | |
GISAXS | Empyrean | Nanostructured thin films and surfaces | |
HR-XRD | Empyrean
| Thin-films and epitaxial multilayers, composition, strain, thickness, quality | |
XRR | Empyrean
| Thin films and surfaces, film thickness, surface and interface roughness | |
XRF | Epsilon
| Elemental composition, elemental concentration, trace elements, contaminant detection |