Protein characterisation using DLS – measurement principle and technology typical applications, limitations and troubleshooting, the new Zetasizer Nano

Michael Rhys Williams

Malvern Instruments, Enigma Business Park, Grovewood Road, Worcestershire, WR14 1XZ, UK

Malvern Instruments offers a wide-array of exciting instrumentation for the biopharmaceutical/biotechnology and academic industries. This presentation gives a scientific overview of the new Malvern platforms and what they deliver to the life-science researcher. The topics covered are: The New Zetasizer ZSP, the Archimedes and the Viscosizer. The Viscosizer and Archimedes are two new systems in the Malvern Instruments portfolio, and offer an orthogonal approach to protein analysis. The Viscosizer offers low-volume sizing of small molecules >200 Da in complex, aqueous and non-aqueous, solvents and measures viscosity accurately at the water viscosity threshold. The Archimedes generates accurate size/mass distributions and particle counting data, for molecules >50nm with clear distinction between monomer and dimer, allowing the scientist to screen for biotherapeutic product contaminants/aggregates quantitatively. The new addition to the Zetasizer range, the ZSP, offers further advances in technology for the accurate sizing and zeta potential measurements of proteins. This offers the researcher more protein characterisation information, resulting in increased confidence when selecting protein candidates for large-scale expression, crystallisation or interaction studies. Altogether, these technologies complement our existing market-leading products and ensure that Malvern Instruments continues to offer leading edge protein analysis instrumentation.