The Zetasizer Nano ZS from Malvern Instruments has been used to meet the specific particle sizing and zeta potential measurement needs of a cancer research team.
Sandra Whaley Bishnoi, assistant professor of chemistry at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and her team specialise in tunable nanoparticle sensors that look at local pH on an intercellular level.
They use the Zetasizer Nano to measure the hydrodynamic diameter and zeta potential of these plasmonic nanoparticles.
As experts in surface chemistry they rely on being able to collect robust measurements of critical parameters quickly and easily.
By freeing the user from requiring specialist knowledge of the dynamic light-scattering measurement technique itself, the Zetasizer Nano enables the Illinois team to continue important research that may ultimately facilitate fast screening and early diagnosis of breast cancer.
'Particle size and surface charge are critical to the tunability of the plasmonic nanoshells we work with,' said Dr Whaley Bishnoi.
'We want to create tools that function at the bionanotechnology interface.
'By tailoring the surface chemistry of gold-silica nanoparticles with a pH sensitive molecule and a targeting molecule, we can deliver functionalised nanoshells that will selectively bind with human cancer cells.
'These can then be tracked in vitro using surface-enhanced Raman scattering.
'We do not want to produce DLS experts; we want to carry out measurements relevant to our speciality - surface chemistry,' she added.
