SAXS provides insights into many unanswered questions in pharmaceutical research and vaccine development

Is the API inside the drug delivery system? How stable is this structure when changing the temperature or pH, or when stress is applied? What is the internal structure? What are the biomolecular interactions? How are nanoparticles arranged in a pharmaceutical formulation? What is the particle size, size distribution and polydispersity of a nanoparticulate drug? What is the three-dimensional structure of a protein in solution?

All of these questions, and more, can be answered by using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), an advanced, non-destructive analytical technique that provides unparalleled insight into nanoscale structures. SAXS has become indispensable in the study of nanoparticles, drug delivery systems, and protein formulations, in particular due to the ability to analyse the structure of biological samples in solution, i.e. in their native state.

SAXS provides insight into the size and size distribution of nanoparticles and nanosized domains, the shape of particles, the internal structure of, e.g., core-shell particles and multi-lamellar structures. SAXS also offers insights into the specific surface area of porous materials, the crystallinity, the orientation of anisotropic materials, and the structural changes under shear (RheoSAXS), all under varying conditions (temperature, humidity, pH, etc.).

The variety of samples for pharmaceutical applications ranges from biological samples (proteins, lipids) measured in their native environment, nanoparticle dispersions, self-assembled structures such as surfactants, emulsions (such as liposome structures used for encapsulation of vaccines or drugs), liquid crystals, with crystalline order at the nanometer scale, mesoporous materials that often exhibit large surface areas, (bio)polymers, copolymers, composites, natural and synthetic fibers, and thin films that can be measured in grazing incidence SAXS or WAXS mode.

Anton Paar’s SAXS instrumentation empowers researchers to address complex pharmaceutical challenges, paving the way for breakthroughs in drug development. For more information, visit www.anton-paar.com.

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