This project primarily to obtain and establish high-throughput dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Multi Angle Light Scattering (MALS) systems capabilities that will be used in conjunction with other equipment to enable research on extracellular vesicles and on oligomerization of nucleic acid-binding proteins as tools for delivery of therapeutic macromolecules. This program combines the unique expertise of the Principal Investigator (PI) laboratory in his work towards the understanding, diagnosis and development of therapeutic strategies for infectious diseases, with engineering of innovative and state-of-the-art tools for studying these biological systems. We are seeking to purchase a high-throughput dynamic light scattering (DLS) plate reader, and a multi-angle light scattering (MALS) detector, combined with a Refractive Index (RI) detector, that can be coupled in parallel with a liquid chromatography system for the simultaneous characterization of size, mass and composition of biomolecular systems.
Item 1: DLS plate reader:
DLS plated reader is a stand-alone equipment for high through-put analysis of nanoparticles and protein aggregation, stability, and oligomerization in various solvent and temperature conditions. It is capable of rapidly screening samples of low volume at a temperature range of 4°C – 85°C. The DLS plate reader will be operating in a research laboratory and will service the needs of the Principal Investigator (PI) as well as collaborators and walk-up users from other groups who are properly trained on its usage. The instrument must be benchtop and user-friendly. This instrument will be utilized primarily protein chemistry researchers investigating oligomerization, stability and aggregation of proteins. Thus, the system must be able to perform analyses in a wide range of particle size and molecular weight, temperature and solvent conditions, and in high through-put manner. This equipment will be managed by the PI and a research associate.
Item 2: MALS/RI system:
The multi-angle light scattering (MALS) detector that can either operate in batch mode, or in flow mode when connected in line with a size exclusion chromatography for protein purification or a LC-MS instrument for small molecule/lipids characterization. Thus, the MALS system will be able to perform analyses of biological samples including exosomes, and the LC-MS will be able to identify their lipid composition, or binding of small molecules to their protein or lipid components. As a stand-alone instrument, the MALS detector, equipped with a refractive index (RI) detector, will be used for complex molecular size and molecular structure and composition analyses of macromolecules and their oligomers or complexes.
The MALS/RI equipment will be operating in a research laboratory and will service the needs of the Principal Investigator (PI) laboratory as well as collaborators and walk-up users from other groups who are properly trained on its usage. The instrument must be benchtop, compatible with LC systems in the existing laboratory, and user-friendly. This instrument will be utilized primarily biology and protein chemistry researchers investigating oligomerization, stability and aggregation of proteins, as well as characterizing extracellular vesicles and nanoparticles in general. Thus, the system must be able to perform analyses in a wide range of particle size and molecular weight.
