Introduction to particle size characterization methods and specifically on Dynamic Light Scattering

Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), sometimes referred to as Photon Correlation Spectroscopy or Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering, is a technique classically used for measuring the size of particles typically in the sub-micron region, dispersed in a liquid.

DLS is typically used for measuring particle size of sub-micron particles. It is adopted across various industries. For instance in Vaccines or bio-formulations this is used in research and development, formulation development, process monitoring, quality control, stability studies, dissolution kinetics, batch release, and other stages in the life-cycle of such medicines in the pharmaceuticals/ bio-pharmaceutical / biologics industry.

In vaccine and bio-formulations, understanding the stability of biological molecules is critical towards ensuring their therapeutic efficacy and immunogenicity. Unstable biological molecules tend to undergo denaturation and aggregation. Influencing factors can be molecule concentration or the level of agitation. Hence it is important to carefully monitor the molecules throughout the development pipeline; from the point of R and D, formulation development, process monitoring to the point of batch release.

The sensitivity of some modern systems is such that it can also now be used to measure the size of macromolecules in solution. In traditional DLS experiments, the scattered light is detected at a single angle and then auto-correlated to determine the diffusion rate of the particles, and ultimately the particle size distribution. Since the direction and the number of photons scattered depends on the size of the particles, for mixed particle sizes a single angle result may misrepresent the true particle size population. Multi-angle dynamic light scattering (MADLS) overcomes many of these drawbacks by automatically combining correlograms from multiple measurement angles to give a robust, angular independent result, with improved resolution, which is suitable for comparison with data from orthogonal techniques.

This webinar is led by Dr Alex van Herk, Principal Scientist at the A*STAR Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (Singapore) and Dr Anand Tadas, Malvern Panalytical's regional application specialist who has a wealth of knowledge in biologicals and DLS. Dr Alex will give an introduction to particle size characterisation and the various methodologies that analysts can engage. Dr Anand will elaborate further into nanoparticle research using dynamic light scattering, with applications towards vaccines among numerous other materials. Interested to improve your R and D / manufacturing process and gain more knowledge about the applications of particle size distribution using DLS? 

Join our free series of webinars: 
- Webinar 1: Intro to Dynamic Light Scattering and its applications towards vaccine research, formulation and development 
- Webinar 2: Recognising good vs bad DLS data: practical tips on sample preparation and handling, software navigation and analysis. More info 
- Webinar 3: Nanomedicine involving complex composition and the criteria for using nanoparticle tracking analysis. More info 
- Webinar 4: Research applications on gene therapy and virus research using NTA. More info 
- Webinar 5: Focus on Vaccine Development 1: Value of DSC as a Complimentary and Insightful Technique for Structural Characterization of a Multi-Domain Protein Antigen. More info 
- Webinar 6: Focus on Vaccine Development 2: How Stable is Stable? Combining biophysical techniques and advanced kinetics to support formulation development. More info 
- Webinar 7: Strengthening the analytical workflow for rAAV viral vector development. More info