Accurate measurement of the structure and physical properties of nanomedicine is also important from the perspective of regulatory science. Approval as a drug requires not only the effect of the drug but also statistical information on the physical characteristics of the drug. In the case of nanomedicine, not only the size but also various other information such as stability, shape, number of associations, density, etc. are required because it is due to the pharmacological effect and safety in practical use. (Reference: Sakurai, Journal of DDS Society 34-3 2019 )

At Sakurai Laboratory, we strongly link the field of DDS and structural analysis, appeal to DDS how important structural analysis is, elucidate the correlation between the structure and pharmacological effects of nanomedicine, and explore the ideal nanomedicine design. I am.

As the name suggests, nanomedicine is nano-sized and invisible to the eye. At Sakurai Laboratory, we evaluate the physical properties of nanomedicine by making full use of small-angle scattering using quantum beams such as SPring-8 and various devices we have. Recently, a cryo-transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) has been introduced at the University's Measurement and Analysis Center (link below), enabling higher quality structural analysis. More recently, we have introduced a device that only we own in Japan (as of May 2021), which has made it possible to analyze the structure from the nano world to the micro world.

In our laboratory, we can perform world-class nanoparticle structure analysis by statistical structural analysis by scattering and real image observation by electron microscope.

What is SPring-8?

SPring-8 (abbreviation of Super Photon ring 8GeV, 8GeV is electron acceleration energy) is a large synchrotron radiation facility located in Sayo-gun, Hyogo Prefecture, and can generate the best synchrotron radiation in the world. With that synchrotron radiation, material science, earth science, life science, and environmental science. It is a facility that has achieved excellent results in the field of industrial use. In our laboratory, we are conducting experiments with beamlines called BL40B2 and BL03XU. From the small-angle X-ray scattering performed by SPring-8, it is possible to obtain characteristic information on the structure corresponding to 1 nm to 100 nm.