SFA Spectroscopy Chases Away Cloudy Samples
Scatter-free absorption spectroscopy quantifies RNA and ligands in cloudy LNPs within 15 seconds, accurately and repeatably. The post SFA Spectroscopy Chases Away Cloudy Samples appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News .
Brendan Darby, co-founder and CEO of Marama Labs, has developed a new technology called CloudSpec that can analyze cloudy samples, eliminating the need for UV/Vis spectrometers. Traditionally, nanoparticle-based therapeutics have been difficult to analyze due to the cloudiness of the lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that encase RNA and payloads.
CloudSpec uses a highly reflective spherical chamber called an integrating sphere, harnessing the Beer-Lambert Law and an algorithm to precisely measure analyte concentrations. This allows for clean measurements similar to a standard spectrometer, without the need for lysing samples or fluorescent dyes. Research shows that CloudSpec outperforms fluorescence-based quantification assays in precision and accuracy, delivering results within 10% of the expected RNA concentration.
The analysis is quick, only requiring sample dilution and taking 15 seconds, while alternative methods can take 30 minutes to two hours. The technology was initially developed in the RAMAN Lab at Victoria University of Wellington during Brendan Darby's doctoral work. Since then, the team has expanded CloudSpec's capabilities to the life sciences, particularly in therapeutic formulation development and quality assurance.
The company is also working on adding additional measurement capabilities, such as nanoparticle size and distribution, to further enhance its utility in the field.
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