University of Massachusetts Lowell chooses Zetasizer Nano S for use in drug delivery research

Malvern’s Zetasizer Nano S is playing a key role in research aimed at identifying and characterizing nano-sized materials which may have the potential for use in drug delivery systems. A team led by Dr Robert Nicolosi of the Department of Clinical Laboratory and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell MA in the US, is undertaking research into a wide range of materials that may be used in the nano-delivery of anti-inflammatory and anti cancer pharmaceuticals, hormones such as insulin and estradiol, nutraceuticals such as omega fatty acids, and cosmeceuticals such as tocopherol. The Zetasizer Nano S has been selected as the best system available for measurement of their size because of its ability to measure a wide range of particle sizes (0.6 nm to 6000 nm).

Commenting on the decision to use the Zetasizer Nano S, Dr Nicolosi said, "Reduction in particle size is a fundamental parameter that determines the performance of these delivery materials, particularly their bioavailability which increases as the surface to volume ratio increases. Our choice of a system which reliably measures particle size over a wide range of concentrations was an important decision. The Malvern Zetasizer was the best of all the systems we tested and we are extremely happy with its performance."

The University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell MA, in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire, Durham NH and Northeastern University, Boston MA, was recently awarded a $12.3 million NSF grant focused on nanomanufacturing. Massachusetts is committing several million dollars towards the construction of a science building which would house nanomanufacturing and medical applications of nanodelivery systems, life sciences and biomanufacturing on the Lowell campus.

Malvern’s Zetasizer Nano S is an easy to use, compact benchtop system which measures particle size in the range 0.6 nm to 6 micron and molecular weight from 1000 to 2 X 107 Da.

Full details of the Zetasizer Nano series can be found at www.malvern.co.uk