Fluorescence lifetime analysis (FLA) for the screening of healthcare nanoformulations: towards a compact and versatile device

Fluorescence lifetime analysis (FLA) has become essential for non-invasive, real-time analysis of a variegate realm of compounds and materials in scientific and industrial fields. Here we present a compact and versatile device designed to apply FLA to the screening of healthcare nanoformulations which contain a luminescent active principle. In the case study here: Doxil FLA enables to decode the supramolecular organization and stability of the luminescent active principle within the nanoformulation in a non-invasive, rapid (seconds), and cost-effective manner. Contrary to currently used methods (e.g. TEM, SEM, CryoEM, HPLC), this device performs the analysis in the natural solvent with no need for sample chemical manipulation or labelling. This advancement holds promise for enhancing research and quality control in pharmaceutical industries. Also, we envision in the near future application of this technology to evaluate drug entry into cells and to monitor the change of drug supramolecular organization upon contact with biological environments, such as biological fluids, cells, tissues.