Izon Science

Key takeaways

Izon Science belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Izon Science to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Izon Science from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Izon Science Limited is a nanotechnology company that develops and sells nano-scale particle analysis and isolation tools. Their main instruments are based on principles of size exclusion chromatography and tunable resistive pulse sensing. Izon’s size-exclusion chromatography columns and related solutions are also used by diagnostics companies focused on developing extracellular vesicle biomarkers. Izon Science’s headquarters is located in Addington (Christchurch, New Zealand), where all instruments are manufactured.

Background/History Izon Science Limited is a company incorporated as Australo Ltd. on January 10, 2005, by four New Zealand-based scientists. In 2007, Hans van der Voorn became CEO, and on November 17, 2008, the company was renamed Izon Science Limited. Initially focused on developing tunable resistive pulse sensing instruments for nanoparticle characterization, the company later expanded into developing tools for isolating exosomes and other extracellular vesicles from biological fluids. Presently, Izon Science develops and manufactures tools for nanoparticle characterization and separation, catering to academic researchers and diagnostics companies working with extracellular vesicles, as well as those involved in nanomedicine, viruses, and virus-like particles. The Exoid is one of Izon's latest tunable resistive pulse sensing instruments, succeeding the qViro-X, qMicro, and qNano. In June 2021, Izon Science relocated its headquarters from Burnside (Christchurch) to a larger facility on Show Place, Addington (Christchurch). The company currently employs approximately 70 individuals. Izon has received investment funds from Bolton Equities, a privately funded investor group based in New Zealand. Research partnerships include the University Medical Center Utrecht and the VU University Medical Center in the Netherlands, the Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes of Health, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Key scientific principles

Size exclusion chromatography Izon Science produces a range of size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) columns called ‘qEV columns’ that separate extracellular vesicles from other constituents in a wide range of biological sample types. qEV columns are packed with a porous, polyacrylamide resin, which facilitates the separation of bio-molecules and particles in a solution based on size. Once a sample is loaded onto the column, the sample passes through the resin under the force of gravity. Larger particles elute the earliest, as they cannot enter the pores in the resin and therefore take a more direct route down the column. In contrast, particles smaller than the designated cutoff size (35 nm or 70 nm, depending on the qEV column) enter pores in the resin and elute later. The sample exits the bottom of the column and is collected into collection tubes placed in the Automatic Fraction Collector, or through manual collection.

Tunable resistive pulse sensing Tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) is a single-particle analytical technique used to measure the size, concentration, and charge of nano and micro-sized particles by detecting a change in ionic current. The passage of an individual particle through a charged nanopore creates a transient change in resistance and subsequent decrease in the background current, known as a blockade event. Blockade characteristics are representative of particle and sample properties: blockade magnitude is proportional to particle size, the blockade rate is directly related to particle concentration, and the speed with which a particle moves through the pore is related to its zeta potential.

Products

qEV columns Size exclusion chromatography-based qEV columns contain porous polysaccharide resins, which enable extracellular vesicles to be isolated in preparation for a range of downstream analytical methods. The range of qEV columns facilitate the separation of particles in the ranges of 35-350 and 70-1000 nm and accommodate sample loading volumes between ≤150 μL and 100 mL. The manual and time-consuming work previously associated with SEC is reduced by the qEV Automatic Fraction Collector (AFC). The AFC utilizes a rotational carousel for holding collection tubes and has an in-built computer that can be programmed to automate the void volume and purified collection volume. During sample collection, the carousel detects the weight of each purified collection volume and automatically advances to the next collection tube.

Automatic Fraction Collector The Automatic Fraction Collector (AFC) is a programmable, automation technology designed to enhance the reproducibility and scalability of sample collection from qEV columns. The AFC manages the collection of fractions from the qEV column by differentiating between the buffer volume, and the volume of fractions containing extracellular vesicles. It has an in-built rotational carousel for holding collection tubes, and precisely measures the volume of each fraction by weight as the sample elutes from the column. Together, qEV columns and the AFC are known as the qEV isolation platform. Multiple AFCs can be used in parallel to increase the throughput of extracellular vesicle isolation.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Izon Science

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Izon Science claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Izon Science before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Izon Science ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Izon Science

In research: Izon Science appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Izon Science in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Izon Science is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Companies based in Christchurch, Nanotechnology companies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Izon Science outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Izon Science in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Izon Science means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Izon Science out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Izon Science in simple terms?

Izon Science Limited is a nanotechnology company that develops and sells nano-scale particle analysis and isolation tools. Their main instruments are based on principles of size exclusion chromatography and tunable resistive pulse sensing.

Why does Izon Science matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Izon Science?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Izon Science.