Webinar Description:
Drug molecules that are highly effective for treatment, are often not suitable for standard delivery modalities due to hydrophobicity, degradation in the digestive tract or non-specific uptake. Nanoparticles may be designed to overcome these challenges
and deliver drugs to their intended target with minimum loss or toxicity.
Simple and robust characterization of therapeutic nanoparticles is essential for the development process. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) is ideal for characterizing sub-micron particles when size and size distributions must be measured quickly,
with little available material, and when the specific optical properties of the particles are not well known. PALS analysis determines the particle’s zeta potential, which is essential in reducing toxicity and targeting the desired organ.
This webinar consists of three contiguous segments—presented by three speakers—addressing the fundamentals of DLS and how it is used to characterize drug-delivery nanoparticles:
- The first segment presents the principles and instrumentation of DLS.
- In the second segment, case studies of the development and DLS-based characterization of pH-responsive nanocapsules are explored. The nanocapsules are self-assembled from protein precursors, and the surfaces are functionalized to target specific
cellular receptors.
- In the third segment, the use of DLS and PALS in formulation development of nanoparticles for delivering therapeutic oligonucleotides is presented.
Learning Objectives:
- Introduction to dynamic light scattering (DLS)
- How DLS monitors the time evolution of the hydrodynamic radii of pH-sensitive nanocapsules composed of human serum albumin (HAS) and silk fibroin
- Understanding the challenges of DLS in two-phase nanoencapsulation systems
- How PALS and DLS combine to help optimize formulation of targeted therapeutic nanoparticles
Speakers:
Dr. Christian Sieg
Wyatt Technology Corp.
Christian Sieg is an Application Scientist for Wyatt Technology, responsible for instructing and assisting customers in the utilization of Wyatt’s unique instrumentation. His work includes visiting customers onsite, establishing applications
and training. He focuses on dynamic light scattering applications as well as protein analysis using size-exclusion chromatography coupled to multi-angle light scattering (SEC-MALS). Christian obtained his M.Sc. from the University of Duisburg-Essen,
Germany and Ph.D. from Bonn University, Germany in the field of Molecular Biomedicine with a focus on protein biochemistry.
Prof. Georg Guebitz
BOKU Vienna
Professor Georg Guebitz is an Austrian biotechnologist. He obtained his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Graz University of Technology, and is now a full professor at BOKU Vienna, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, as well
as the head of both the Department of Agrobiotechnology and the Institute of Environmental Biotechnology at IFA Tulln. He serves as Chairman of the Polymer Biotechnology section of the European Federation of Biotechnology. Guebitz has spent
time in Central America, investigating upgrading of byproducts from oil seed plant processing. As an Erwin-Schroedinger Fellow, he developed enzyme-based strategies for lignocellulose processing at Univ. British Columbia, Canada, demonstrating
the potential of enzymes to replace toxic chemicals and to lower energy consumption in polymer processing, thereby reducing the negative environmental impact of polymer production. He teaches various courses in the field of biotechnology-based
approaches to sustainable processes. His research interests are in the development of enzyme-based strategies for polymer processing and functionalization, and in environmental biotechnology. He has participated in 30 European projects, of
which he coordinated 11. His achievements in the development of environmentally-friendly processes using biotechnological approaches resulted in various awards, 15 patents and 340 peer reviewed publications.
Dr. Adva Krivitzky
Tel Aviv University
Dr. Adva Krivitsky is a postdoctoral fellow at the Cancer Research and Nanomedicine Laboratory of Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University. After graduating a B.Sc.
Dual degree in Chemistry and Biology and M.Sc. in Neurobiology, both at Tel-Aviv University, Adva moved to Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro’s laboratory and engaged in a nanotechnology-based project.
During her PhD studies, Adva established a synthetic library of nanocarriers for oligonucleotides that was in vivo evaluated as cancer therapeutics. She co-authored more than 15 scientific papers in which she describes the development and physicochemical
characterization of the nanoparticles formed by the assembly of polymers and oligonucleotides.
Cost: No Cost!