New nanoparticle separation method boosts biotech and cancer research
In nanoscale particle research, precise control and separation have long been a bottleneck in biotechnology . Researchers at the University of Oulu have now developed a new method that improves particle separation and purification. The promising technique could be applied, for example, in cancer research. Separating nanosized particles remains a persistent challenge in biotechnology. Once particle size drops below a few hundred nanometres, their behaviour becomes dominated by diffusion – the random walk of particles. This weakens the forces used to guide them, causing separation accuracy to collapse. A microfluidics research group led by Professor Caglar Elbuken at the University of Oulu has developed a new solution to the problem. The method significantly improves the separation and purification of both small synthetic particles and nanoscale vesicles secreted by living cells. Particle separation is crucial because many biological processes occur precisely at the nanoscale. Extr...