Wyatt Blog

March 29, 2016 - Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an amazingly versatile molecule thanks to its unique structure and stability. Encoding and passing on to subsequent generations all inheritable genetic information, the DNA molecule plays a well-known, pivotal role in the biological world. However, DNA has also been the subject of cutting-edge research in fields outside the usual scope of genetics and biology, from nanotechnology and nanoelectronics to drug delivery and even optogenetics, taking advantage of its highly customizable properties. Light scattering, of course, plays an important part in many of these studies.

March 28, 2016 - Actually too numerous to cover in a single publication, but Allen Minton of the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics in NIH’s National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has done a spectacular job of critically addressing quite a few. His review article, “Recent applications of light scattering measurement in the biological and biopharmaceutical sciences,” appears in Analytical Biochemistry 501 (2016) pp. 4-22.

February 15, 2016 - Dr. Lisa Heiden of Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News states if the Biotherapeutics Workshop is to progress beyond Rough-Hewn Products, it will need a range of finely calibrated analytical Platforms. DLS (dynamic light scattering) assesses size distribution, and MALS (multiangle light scattering) measures molar mass. Both are utilized throughout drug discovery, beginning with quality assessments of proteins to identify the best candidate molecules.

February 10, 2016 - ZoBio Staff In many projects, the largest hurdle to be overcome is preparation of a protein that is well-behaved for biophysical and structural biological studies. Often even after achieving high level expression of a soluble, functional variant of the target, it may aggregate under the high concentrations required for many experimental techniques, particularly NMR and X-ray crystallography.

January 20, 2016 - Methods for the analysis of nanoparticles have been available since the 1980s and light scattering offers one of the most versatile sets of characterization tools. The three most common variations of analytical light scattering includes: multi-angle, dynamic and electrophoretic (MALS, DLS and ELS, respectively). The light scattering toolbox comprising MALS, DLS and ELS is an essential kit for scientists and engineers working in nanoparticle characterization.

December 16, 2015 - Scientists in the fields of structural biology, biophysics, protein formulation and stability have formed a consortium, Protein-excipient Interactions and Protein-Protein Interactions in Formulation (PIPPI). PIPPI’s goals are a mechanistic understanding of protein stability, as well as training a new generation of innovative and entrepreneurial early-stage researchers who will develop methodologies and tools to guide the formulation of robust biologics. Three-year scholarships are available for 15 Ph.D. students.

December 15, 2015 - Natural polymers and their derivatives feature in a host of cutting-edge applied research projects, including biofuels, environmentally friendly structural materials, nanopharmaceuticals and food science. Light scattering is, of course, a primary means for characterizing natural polymers in terms of molar mass, size, and conformation. Here we present some highlights of recent publications utilizing MALS to study polymerization, structure and degradation of natural polymers, and even the contribution of these materials to the texture and consistency of one of our favorite mobile phases: beer.

Nov. 20, 2015 - The question of 'Which chromatography detector should I buy' was addressed in a recent LinkedIn post, which gave a great overview of the various detectors available for many types of chromatography, but only briefly alluded to the most important detector type for anyone running size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) or gel-permeation chromatography (GPC): multi-angle light scattering (MALS).

Nov. 18, 2015 - Wyatt Technology Europe GmbH, Wyatt Technology's subsidiary office in Dernbach, Germany, has expanded its headquarters. The grand opening ceremony of the new European center of operations was held in conjunction with the European Users' Meeting, September 29th through October 2nd, 2015.