DynaPro® NanoStar® II

Traditional dynamic light scattering, just better.

 

 

 

1. Product Overview

 

 

Unique cuvette-based DLS

 

The DynaPro ®NanoStar ®II is a unique cuvette-based DLS instrument used for the analysis of proteins, gene therapy vectors, viruses and virus-like particles, promiscuous inhibitors, micelles, liposomes, lipid and metallic nanoparticles, and more. To accommodate scarce and precious samples, specially designed quartz cuvettes afford robust, accurate measurements with as little as 2 µL of solution, while our proprietary disposable cuvettes provide comparable sensitivity with as little as 4 µL!

 

 

Walk-up operation with DYNAMICS ®Touch ™

 

The NanoStar is the only DLS instrument to provide a fully integrated, walk-up measurement experience. No need to boot up your lab PC, launch the DLS software, connect to the instrument and worry about where your data files are stored. DYNAMICS Touch is an intuitive—yet capable—DLS measurement app that resides right on the NanoStar. Via the full-size touch screen display, DYNAMICS Touch guides you through the entire setup and measurement process. It tells you if the data quality is sufficient for confidence in the results, and displays them instantly. Data files and concise PDF reports can be stored on the instrument, transferred via the network or downloaded to a flash drive. You can even send the report to your phone!

 

 

Full-featured analyses with DYNAMICS ®

 

DYNAMICS is our powerful PC-based, comprehensive software package for collecting, analyzing, and reporting batch dynamic and static light scattering data. It performs advanced analyses and compares multiple data files to identify trends and statistics. DYNAMICS can control the NanoStar and acquire data directly, or read in DYNAMICS Touch data files.

 

DYNAMICS is offered with a 21 CFR Part 11 compliant Security Pack option, enabling the use of the DynaPro NanoStar in a GMP environment for quality control or at-line process monitoring.

 

 

 

2. Product Description

 

 

Size and beyond

 

Coupled with the versatile and user-friendly DYNAMICS software and DYNAMICS Touch on-board app, the NanoStar may be utilized to measure not just size, size distributions, particle concentration and weight-average molar mass, but also solution properties relevant to sample stability: the second virial coefficient (A 2or B 22 ), the diffusion interaction parameter (k D ), and the temperature of protein melting or aggregation onset (T m , T onset ). 

 

 

 

 

 

Cuvette, and yet...

 

... still another feature unique to the NanoStar: the optical fiber pickup may be coupled to any of Wyatt's on-line MALS detectors - the DAWN ®or miniDAWN ®- to add on-line DLS measurements in the same detection volume as SEC-MALS or FFF-MALS measurements.

 

Combining numerous benefits, the NanoStar is an unparalleled cuvette-based DLS detector. For higher productivity, consider the DynaPro Plate Reader, the only commercially available DLS plate reader measuring in situ for high-throughput screening of thousands of conditions per day in industry-standard microwell plates. 

 

 

Key features

 

•  DYNAMICS Touch on-board app for walk-up operation

•  Rhfrom 0.2 nm - 1000 nm

•  Temperature from -10 °C to +120 °C

•  Molecular weight from 300 Da to 1 MDa

•  Separate, optimized SLS and DLS detection channels

•  Auto-attenuation over five orders of magnitude

 

 

Versatile, high-quality options

 

Make measurements in super-high-quality quartz cuvettes with as little as 2 µL of sample, aqueous or organic solvents, over the entire, extended temperature range. This cuvette incorporates a solvent reservoir to prevent sample evaporation over high-temperature or extended analyses.

 

Our proprietary disposable cuvettes nearly match the optical quality of quartz yet require only 4 µL of sample, aqueous or select polar solvents. For convenience, larger-volume quartz and disposable cuvettes are also available. 

 

 

 

 

 3.  On-Line Operation 

 

On-Line MALS and DLS in a shared flow cell

 

Simultaneous determination of molar mass and size is crucial for structural and conformational analysis of macromolecules (e.g., branching ratio of polymers, discriminating empty or filled vesicles, etc.). For smaller molecules such as proteins, MALS cannot measure size directly via the angular dependence and so DLS is an important complementary technique.

 

On-Line DLS is a valuable addition to your SEC-MALS or FFF-MALS characterization instrumentation, providing hydrodynamic radii and, in combination with MALS, the shape factor R g :R hof larger nanoparticles. Instead of adding another detector in-line, with the associated band broadening, dilution, signal misalignment and loss of resolution, Wyatt's innovative solution is to share the MALS laser and flow cell with the DLS detector.

 

With the online DLS option, a NanoStar II can be coupled to a MALS flow cell. The ASTRA chromatography software connects to the MALS and DLS detectors to acquire data simultaneously from both, analyzing and reporting the individual information (molecular weight, rms radius, hydrodynamic radius) and results derived from the combination, such as molecular configuration by shape factor. 

 

 

 

4.  Advanced Technology

 

 

DLS technology

 

Commercially available DLS instruments generally incorporate an avalanche photodiode (APD) as a single photon counting module (SPCM). APD-based SPCMs are excellent and robust for DLS analysis thanks to their rapid, high-gain response; the NanoStar utilizes a temperature-stabilized APD coupled to an advanced double density, multi-tau (DDMT) correlator for analysis of diffusion coefficients, size and size distributions. The DDMT correlator incorporates 512 bins covering time scales of 100 nanoseconds to 1 hour in order to address a huge span of particle sizes - ranging over hydrodynamic radii R hof 0.2 nm to 1000 nm.

 

 

SLS technology

 

While size is the primary application of DLS, the measurement of molar mass and particle concentration is often of interest as well. The molar mass of macromolecules having a specific conformation (e.g., globular proteins) may be often estimated from the measured R h . However, this model-based estimation of mass is often incorrect since many molecules of interest do not correspond to these models.In the NanoStar, molar mass is measured directly from first principles by means of static light scattering (SLS). For particles, like viruses and lipid nanoparticles, a dedicated SLS detector combined with the hydrodynamic radius by DLS provides rapid, robust measurement of particle concentration. Within just a few seconds, you can determine the size of your particles, assess the presence of additional species, and count how many are in solution.

 

In addition to the SPCM-based DLS detection channel, the NanoStar incorporates a separate, optimized SLS detection channel featuring a highly linear, low noise photodiode - in fact, the same photodiode used in our on-line multi-angle light scattering (MALS) detectors. This SLS channel guarantees sensitive and accurate molar masses from 300 Da to 1 MDa (the upper limit depends on the molecular conformation and the measured R h ).

 

 

And more unique technology

 

In order to ensure that the NanoStar never goes out of range, it comes equipped with automatic attenuation over five orders of magnitude. Its air-launched laser, coupled with proprietary optics for maximum sensitivity, make single-mode optical fiber technology obsolete. The temperature control system in the NanoStar is unequalled in comparable dynamic light scattering detectors, providing rapid temperature ramps with an overall temperature range of -10 °C to +120 °C. 

 

 

 

 

5. Software

 

 

DYNAMICS - Performs single and automated experiments and analyzes DLS and SLS data to determine size and size distributions, molar mass, temperature onset of melting or aggregation, particle concentration, second virial coefficient A 2and the diffusion interaction parameter k D .

 

DYNAMICS is offered with a 21 CFR Part 11 compliant Security Pack option, enabling the use of the DynaPro NanoStar in a GMP environment.

 

DYNAMICS Touch - measure and analyze your DLS results directly on the NanoStar II touch screen with the on-board DYNAMICS Touch. With its user-friendly and minimalistic interface, DYNAMICS Touch makes your walk-up DLS measurements easier and faster than ever before. Naturally, you can also import your data from DYNAMICS Touch for data analysis in DYNAMICS. 

 

 

Size Range (Radius)	0.2 to 1000 nm
Static Scattering Molecular Weight Range	300 Da to 1 MDa
Particle Concentration Range	1x105 to 1x 1015 (dependent on size)
Sensitivity	0.1 mg/mL of 14.4 kDa lysozyme in PBS
Temperature Range	-10 °C to +120 °C* Maximum ramp rate 15 °C/min
Sample Options
Sample Cells	Quartz cuvette: 2 μL or 45 μL, Disposable cuvette (cyclic olefin copolymer), generic 4 mL quartz and disposable cuvettes (with adapter)
Minimum Sample Volume	2 μL in quartz cuvette; 4 μL in disposable cuvette
Optics
Laser Wavelength	658 nm
Laser Power Control	Programmable 10% to 100%
Scattering Angle	90°
Optical Fiber	Multi-mode
Additional Detectors	Laser monitor for active stabilization; Forward monitor measures transmitted light for turbidance and laser/cell diagnostics
Electronics
Data Acquisition Time	1 to 3600 sec
Correlator	512 channel, 100 nsec sampling time in a multi-tau layout
Dimensions	57 cm (L) x 36 cm (W) x 20 cm (H)
Weight	16 kg

 

* Dry air or nitrogen required for operation below 20 °C 

 

 

 

 

 

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