The Centre for Molecular Nanometrology at the University of Strathclyde has
selected an LM10 characterisation system from Nanosight
to aid in their research and development of new biosensors.
Dr Alastair Wark, Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Molecular Nanometrology and principal user of NanoSight technology for nanoparticle characterisation
Lecturer, Dr Alastair Wark's research interests are based around the
preparation, functionalisation and application of plasmonic nanomaterials. The
use of such nanometre-scale materials and tools is opening up exciting new avenues
for the investigation of biomolecular interactions and biological systems with
unprecedented sensitivity and spatial accuracy.
Other characterisation techniques such as UV-VIS adsorption spectroscopy and
DLS (dynamic light scattering) are useful for bulk averaging measurements but
it is the ability to visualise individual nanoparticles one at a time that drew
former postdoctoral researcher Dr Robert Stokes, whilst working with Professor
Duncan Graham, to select the NanoSight NTA system. This has catalysed the current
research being led by Dr Wark who reports “the NanoSight provides an intuitive
way of sensing particles and being able to work dynamically in biocompatible
liquids collecting multiple single sets of particle information gives statistical
credibility to the data.”
This initial work is leading to developments for biosensors involving the controlled
aggregation of functionalised nanomaterials in the presence of a specific target
biomolecule. The ability to monitor this process in solution using particle-by-particle
measurements cannot be achieved with bulk characterisation techniques.
NanoSight's NTA approach has been shown to ideally suit such research
activities and, with the ability to not only look at spherical particles but
also characterise rod-like materials, makes the system an extremely powerful
nanoscale research and development tool.