Myriade
This french company started in 2017 and sells the Video Drop, a device that uses interferometry to detect particles and track them.
The setup is described in [[literature/@boccara2016Full-field interferometry for counting and differentiating aquatic biotic nanoparticles: from laboratory to Tara Oceans|@boccara2016Full-field interferometry for counting and differentiating aquatic biotic nanoparticles: from laboratory to Tara Oceans]] and follows the schematic below:
The technique itself is based on nanoparticle tracking analysis to measure the size. The novelty is that they use an incoherent light source (a white LED) and the plane-selectivity is achieved because of the interference generated at a specific location in the sample volume.
The biggest advantage of this instrument is that they implemented it with simplicity in mind. Introducing the sample into the instrument takes seconds, you close the lid and can start acquiring right away. No focusing, no waiting for flow to stabilize.
The instrument has a weird shape. It's very tall and narrow, hard to believe it's stable, but seems to be working well.
As an NTA, it has the traditional limitations of nanoparticle tracking analysis, and specifically Limitations of NTA for Extracellular Vesicles measurements.
Moreover because of the geometry, it can work only in scattering mode. I am not sure how it behaves with smaller particles. Since it's an interferometric signal, I would assume it goes as $d^3$ instead of $d^6$, which would be an advantage when going small, but it'll still be limited by the diffusion coefficient and the Localization uncertainty in NTA measurements.
I believe the entire marketing approach is based on the easy of use. You can put the instrument next to the production line and acquire data quickly. That's why they have been focusing on companies producing viral vectors for drug delivery.
But it's just an NTA and it has its known limitations. If Malvern would have kept pushing for the development of the technique via NanoSight, I don't believe there would have been room for Myriade nor Particle Metrix.
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