Characterisation of nano and microparticles with SIOS is not confined simply to engineered or synthetic nanoparticles, but can also be applied to biological particles such as viruses, bacteria and exosomes.

Recently the Jenner Institute, a world leading non-profit organisation for vaccine development located in Oxford, UK, has been applying the SIOS measurement approach to assess their viral sample preparations. The Institute is developing promising new vaccine candidates against major global infectious diseases and currently has new vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and HIV in field trials in the developing world.

Dr. Ali Turner, Vector Core Facility Deputy Manager, and Jake Matthews, a post-graduate researcher at the Institute, are using SIOS technology to further their research into vaccine vectors. Key parameters of interest include accurate measurement of viral titre as well as assessment of levels of aggregation within the virus samples. An understanding of the level of aggregation is particularly important to ensure the quality of the vaccine produced from the virus. Work is focusing on two viruses, Adenovirus and Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus, both used extensively as vectors or delivery vehicles in both vaccinology and gene therapy.

Researchers at the institute also contributed to a recently submitted paper on particle sizing analysis using the SIOS approach. In this they demonstrated the resolution capability of the qViro instrument for virus samples, clearly distinguishing single adenovirus particles from two particle aggregates.

Below: Jake Matthews, post-graduate researcher at The Jenner Institute, using the qViro to measure viral titre and study virus aggregation.

Izon's association with the University of Oxford has grown with the opening of our new UK office in the Oxford University Begbroke Science Park, and also with the introduction of qNano and qViro instruments into key research departments within the University.

Dr. Anne Barnett from Izon has been based at Begbroke since early September and has established new linkages within the University of Oxford and also with other leading research institutes in the UK and Europe (see the Jenner Institute article above). "It is exciting to be part of the research being undertaken in the Oxford area. Within Oxford, Izon instrument systems are contributing to research ranging from materials science and physical chemistry through to virus characterisation for vaccine development and gene therapy as well as haemotology and micro/nano vesicles research."

Dr. Vanessa Cheel has also joined the Izon team in the UK. Dr. Cheel has recently been with Oxford Materials (Department of Materials at University of Oxford) where she worked under Dr. Alison Crossley and developed considerable experience in working with the qNano. She will continue to have involvement with the Oxford Materials group, but is now also working for Izon in a technical support role, utilising her experience with the qNano and expertise in engineered nanoparticle characterisation.

In November Izon's V2.0 software was successfully released, with positive feedback from customers. The new software provides significantly enhanced automation and ease of use for Izon instrumentation, and simplifies the measurement of particle size and concentration. The system also now provides for routine calibration for particle concentration and individual particle size.

At the same time, the accuracy of the platform has also been improved. This has been achieved by an improved data capture algorithm and by the detailed calibration methods that are now included. We now believe that Izon’s tunable nanopore platform is the most accurate nanoparticle analysis method outside of dedicated metrology labs.

For more info....

The Fifth International Conference on Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (AMN-5) is taking place 7 - 11 February 2011 in Wellington, New Zealand. The conference, organised by the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology , provides an interdisciplinary overview of advanced materials and nanotechnology and showcases some of the latest advances in this area.

Tunable nanopore technology will have a strong presence at the conference. A range of speakers from the fields of virology, drug delivery, magnetic materials and particle-derived diagnostic platforms will be giving presentations and also detailing the function of tunable pores in the advancement of their research. These include Dr Xiaodi Su (A*Star (IMRE), Singapore) and Dr Sam Yu (Izon, MacDiarmid), Prof. Mark Grinstaff (Grinstaff Group at Boston University), Dr Geoff Willmott (MacDiarmid Institute), Dr Will Anderson (University of Queensland / AIBN - Trau Group), Dr Christy Charlton O’Mahony (Dublin City University), Prof. Pauline Pei Li (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Ass. Prof. Sunghoon Kwon (Seoul National University) and Prof. David Deamer (Plenary speaker, UC Santa Cruz)..

Izon will be hosting a 'Nanopore Lounge' at the conference where attendees can relax, mingle, and even make use of an Izon instrument. Izon research scientists will be available to discuss the latest characterisation approaches.

Conference registration is available on the website.