Zetasizer Sample Assistant – Supporting the development of personalized medicines by automating a key measurement
Personalised Medicine
The Human Genome Project led to great advances in the understanding of human genetics, ultimately leading us to a point where we can use a patient’s genetic profile to treat disease. Such treatments are referred to as personalised, or precision, medicines, and their emergence marks a major therapeutic advance. The earliest form of drug discovery involved applying substances that were known to have therapeutic qualities effect to various different conditions. The rational drug discovery that is more familiar to us today emerged mid-way through the 20th century, when advances in molecular biology allowed targets involved in disease to be identified and drugs designed for them. Personalised medicines are the next step along the pathway of increasing precision in medicine.
An exciting example of is that of mRNA therapeutics. mRNA can be modified to code for a protein that, when produced by the patient’s own cellular machinery, would help cure the disease. This could be a protein lacked by the patient, or an antigen present on a tumour that would cause an immune response against the same. First, however, the mRNA must reach the tissues concerned, something that is done through encapsulation in a nanovector prior to injection. Proper delivery being as important to the success of these medicines as the RNA itself, much research is being dedicated to bringing down the costs of development of both mRNA and nanoparticle vectors.
Dealing with Increasing Analytical Requirements
The Zetasizer is a key tool to the efficient development of both viral and synthetic nano-vectors, due to its ability to accurately and reproduceably measure nanoparticle size, surface characteristics, and concentration. These metrics are key to the development nano-vectors and finished nano-medicines. As personalised medicine continues to grow, the need to measure a larger number of precisely-targetted drugs will put pressure on existing analytical resources. In order to help our customers further optimise their MSAT (Manufacturing, Science and Technology) workflows, we have this year released a new automation accessory that frees the operator to analyse and use the data generated. The Zetasizer Sample Assistant gives the same great data quality and versatility expected from a Zetasizer Advance with even greater efficiency.
The system is designed to work with different sample sizes, being compatible with 10×10 mm cells and the standard Universal Cell. It also runs Zeta Potential measurements, vital for determination of the surface characteristics and deliverability of a vector. Multiple methods can be run in whatever order the user-workflow demands. Zeta and size measurements can be interspersed with each other, as can measurements of different sample sizes in different cuvettes, all with no risk of cross-contamination. So whatever the nature of your precision medicine workflow, the sample assistant helps you make quality measurements of more samples and dedicate more resource to analysing the valuable data producted.
Only a part Malvern Panalytical’s automated offering to precision medicine developers
The precision Medicine industry is expected to continue growing at >> 10 % CAGR, making available more and more medicines tailored to specific types of cancer, all with separate analytical requirements. The automation of the world’s most widely used nanoparticle characterisation system, outlined here, is only one part of Malvern Panalytical’s response to this. An automated Zetasizer generates more data. Just as Precision medicine uses concepts such as digital health twins to optimise treatments, Malvern Panalytical is developing our own digital solutions to further support our customers. We use cloud connectivity and AI to secure both the generation and storage of your data whilst helping you rapidly gain new insights from it.
From greater insight comes better decision-making. Whether it be target-identification, vector-development, or quality control of the finished product, Malvern Panalytical is at the forefront of precision medicine characterisation. We look forward to working more and more with those pushing the boundaries of medicine over the coming years.
Further Reading/Viewing:
Lipid Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery – 5 pioneers share lessons learned
What Can Differential Scanning Calorimetry tell you about LNP Samples – When should you use it?
Measuring Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Concentration – Optimise clone and production yields
3 Tools for Better Lipid Nanoparticle Size Measurements
What can Electrophoretic Light Scattering tell you about LNP Samples – When should you use it?