Izon Science today launched a major software and methods upgrade to provide significant advances in automation and accuracy for its qNano and qViro nanoparticle characterisation instruments.   The enhanced automation allows users to more easily use the tunable nanoparticle analysis tools to measure and characterise particles with a high degree of accuracy.

Standard methods for particle size and particle concentration measurement using accurate calibration particles are now available as default options. The combined measurement of concentration and size allows for the concentration of individual particle size fractions to be obtained with a quick and accurate procedure. 

"Izon has developed the world's most advanced nanoparticle analysis system.  Now it's faster and simpler to use and demonstrably very accurate.  It's a disruptive technology and rapidly changing the way nanoparticle analysis is done," says Hans van der Voorn, Chairman of Izon. 

Izon's sophisticated platform is based on combined pressure and electrophoretic force being applied to particles so they can be accurately measured and analysed as they pass through a single pore in a membrane.  The qNano and qViro instruments provide information on several particle parameters on an individual particle basis to give the most comprehensive picture of particles of any system available.

Users have the ability to vary pressure, electrophoretic force, and nanopore size in real time to extract detailed information on particle concentration, electrophoretic mobility, particle by particle size, and aggregation kinetics in a wide range of pH and electrolyte environments.

Izon's tunable nanopore technology can be used alongside or instead of dynamic light scattering (DLS) technology, which is the traditional technique used by many researchers.  Van der Voorn says, "The Izon platform has been shown to more accurately measure mixed particle solutions than standard electron microscopy and therefore provides a quantum leap in measurement accuracy and reliability over older techniques like DLS.  The technology is also much more compact and simpler to build so costs substantially less than any of the other commonly used systems."

The enhanced functionality of Izon's nanoparticle analysis system combined with its ease of use is resulting in a wide range of new users and novel research in a number of nanoparticle related fields. 

"We will be running a series of webinars to show customers through the new software, outline the new functionality, and enable interaction with the Izon development team so they can ask questions on how the new functionality can be applied to their research projects," says Van der Voorn. 

Izon's technology has been taken up by a range of leading research institutes including University of Oxford, University of Nottingham, University of Melbourne, Dublin City University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California Santa Cruz, Johns Hopkins University, Ian Wark Institute, NIST, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, ATCC, Max Planck Institute, CSIRO, MacDiarmid Institute, University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, National Measurement Institute of Australia, Victoria University of Wellington, and Harvard Medical School. 

Current projects include detailed engineering and optimisation of diagnostic assays and drug delivery systems, QA of particle functionalisation, nanoparticle charge measurement, measurement and analysis of exosomes and other nanovesicles, including directly in plasma, particle concentration analysis, accurate characterisation of complex engineered nanoparticle systems, and virus quantitation and analysis.

Izon customers can download the Version 2.0 software from the support centre on Izon's website http://www.izon.com