An Introduction to characterization of biomolecules using analytical ultracentrifugation

Presented By:
Akash Bhattacharya, PhD - Senior Application Engineer, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences

Speaker Biography:
Akash Bhattacharya graduated from Presidency College, India with a major in Physics and went on to a Masters' in Physics at the Indian Institute of Science where he worked on Quantum Computing. He then moved for doctoral studies in Biophysics to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he joined the lab of Prof. Erik Zuiderweg and worked on NMR spectroscopy methods development in the context of the Structural Biology of Chaperone Proteins. After Michigan, he worked briefly at Rutgers and then eventually moved to the Dept. of Biochemistry and Structural Biology at the University of Texas Health at San Antonio. Here, he worked with Prof. Dmitri Ivanov and Prof. Borries Demeler on the enzymology of HIV infection and restriction by mammalian proteins.

Co-Presented By:
Ross VerHeul - Senior Applications Scientist - Beckman Coulter

Speaker Biography:
Ross holds formal training spanning biology to synthetic organic chemistry and wide-ranging expertise in microfluidic applications paired with the production, purification, and characterization of a multitude of biomaterials for use in vitro and in vivo. Such materials include synthetic and natural proteins, polymers, nanoparticles, and viral & non-viral vectors for gene therapy.

Webinar:
An Introduction to characterization of biomolecules using analytical ultracentrifugation

Webinar Abstract:
Analytical Ultracentrifugation (AUC) is one of the most powerful biophysical tools used today for the characterization of biological samples ranging from small drug molecules to intact viruses, vesicles and microparticles. AUC works with biological samples in the native state and does not depend on a reporter species or custom-coated substrates which are required by techniques such as NMR, EPR, SPR and fluorescence spectroscopy. AUC separates biomolecules based upon both molecular mass and anisotropy, unlike Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC), which separates molecules based only on their hydrodynamic volume. Furthermore, AUC is not just useful for characterizing the oligomerization/aggregation state of biological samples, but also to quantify interactions between different species.
In this talk, we will start with the principles of analytical ultracentrifugation and take a tour through the technology behind modern AUC, including UV/Vis absorbance mode and interference mode signal detection, and look at experiment design and setup. Following, we will address the different types of AUC experiments (equilibrium and velocity), compare and contrast their merits with sample data, and touch upon the principles of data processing (to be covered in-depth in a subsequent webinar). Finally, we will explore a variety of applications with a focus on the unique advantages that AUC brings to the study of various biotherapeutics, polymers, nanoparticles, and others – and how AUC compares to and complements other analytical techniques.

Learning Objectives:
-Become familiar with the principles of analytical ultracentrifugation, the technology behind modern AUC.
-Learn the fundamentals of how to design and setup experiments.
-Learn about the different types of AUC experiments (equilibrium and velocity), compare and contrast their merits.
-Learn the basic principles behind AUC data analysis.
-Discover the unique advantages that AUC brings to the study of various biotherapeutics, polymers, nanoparticles, etc.

Earn PACE Credits:

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