Nanoparticle Characterization and Drug Delivery Systems

Nanoparticle characterisation and drug delivery systems form a synergistic field at the interface of materials science, pharmaceutics and biomedicine. Precise determination of nanoparticle size, shape, surface chemistry and mechanical properties underpins the design of carriers that navigate biological barriers, deliver payloads selectively and release therapeutics in a controlled manner. Common characterisation techniques include dynamic light scattering for hydrodynamic size and polydispersity, electron and atomic force microscopy for morphology, nanoparticle tracking analysis for individual particle trajectories, zeta potential measurements for surface charge and spectroscopic methods for composition. Advances in single‐particle profiling and optical fibre–based tracking have pushed the limits of resolution to sub-10 nm, enabling direct insight into nano-scale heterogeneity. In parallel, drug delivery systems have evolved from simple liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles to multifunctional platforms incorporating targeting ligands, stimuli-responsive materials and genetic cargos such as mRNA. These developments have delivered breakthroughs in vaccine technology, cancer therapeutics and gene editing. Integration of robust characterisation protocols with scalable manufacturing processes is now essential to ensure reproducibility, safety and regulatory compliance. The global impact of these platforms is evident in the rapid deployment of lipid nanoparticle vaccines and the growing pipeline of precision nanomedicines for a range of chronic and acute disorders.

Research from Nature Portfolio

High-throughput single-particle profiling has emerged as a powerful tool for simultaneous measurement of content and biophysical properties of thousands of particles in the 5–200 nm range. This approach quantifies messenger RNA encapsulation efficiency in lipid nanoparticles, evaluates viral binding efficiencies of nanobodies and reveals heterogeneity in liposomes, lipoproteins and exosomes with unprecedented throughput. Fibre-assisted nanoparticle tracking analysis using single anti-resonant element optical fibres has demonstrated precise characterisation of diffusing nanoparticles down to 9 nm in diameter. By minimising background scattering and enhancing detection sensitivity, this technique reaches the fundamental limit of nanoparticle tracking, opening pathways to study early stages of nanoparticle growth and pharmaceutical processes that were previously inaccessible.

Nanoparticle Characterization and Drug Delivery Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanoparticle characterization and drug delivery systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Nanoparticle: A particle with at least one dimension between 1 and 100 nanometres, used as a carrier in drug delivery applications.

Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS): An optical technique that analyses fluctuations in scattered light intensity to determine the hydrodynamic size and polydispersity of particles in suspension.

Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA): A method that tracks individual particle motion by video microscopy to derive size distributions based on Brownian motion.

Zeta Potential: The electrostatic potential at the slipping plane of a particle in suspension, indicative of surface charge and colloidal stability.

Lipid Nanoparticle: A nanoscale vesicle composed of lipid bilayers or monolayers, commonly used to encapsulate and deliver nucleic acids and hydrophobic drugs.

Single-Particle Profiler: A high-throughput instrument that measures individual nanoparticle composition and biophysical properties across large populations in real time.

Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM): A technique combining video microscopy and scattering principles to extract diffusion coefficients of particles within complex or heterogeneous environments.

References

1. High-throughput measurement of the content and properties of nano-sized bioparticles with single-particle profiler. Nature Biotechnology (2023).
2. Characterization of diffusing sub-10 nm nano-objects using single anti-resonant element optical fibers. Nature Communications (2023).
3. In vitro and in vivo characterization of pharmaceutical nanocarriers used for drug delivery. Artificial Cells Nanomedicine and Biotechnology (2019).
4. Dynamic Light Scattering Analysis in Biomedical Research and Applications of Nanoparticles and Polymers. Journal of Biomedical Photonics & Engineering (2023).
5. Differential Dynamic Microscopy: Diffusion Measurements Where You Want Them. Macromolecules (2023).