Small Angle Neutron Scattering in Drug Discovery Research: A Novel Tool for Advanced Study of Structures of Biological Macromolecules

Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) is a powerful and novel tool for the study of soft condensed matter, including the microscopic and nanomaterials used for drug discovery and delivery. The sample is exposed to a neutron beam, and neutron scattering occurs, which is studied as a function of the scattering angle to deduce a variety of information about the dynamics and structure of the material. The technique is becoming very popular in biomedical research to investigate the various aspects of structural biology. The low-resolution information on large heterogeneous, solubilized biomacromolecular complexes in solution is obtained with the use of deuterium labelling and solvent contrast variation. The article reviews the basics of the SANS technique, its applications in drug delivery research, and its current status in biomedical research. The article covers and overviews the precise characterization of biological structures (membranes, vesicles, proteins in solution), mesoporous structures, colloids, and surfactants, as well as cyclodextrin complexes, lipid complexes, polymeric nanoparticles, etc., with the help of neutron scattering. SANS is continuously evolving as a medium for exploring the complex world of biomolecules, providing information regarding the structure, composition, and arrangement of various constituents. With improving modelling software automation in data reduction and the development of new neutron research facilities, SANS can be expected to remain mainstream for biomedical research.