NanoSight reaches profitability with support of UK nanotechnology network

24 Jan 2011

Salisbury-based NanoSight, which has developed a unique nanoparticle characterization system, has recently secured its 250th sale and has reached profitability for the first time since the company was established in 2005.

NanoSight’s CEO Jeremy Warren believes support from the NanoKTN, one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for micro and nanotechnologies has had significant, commercial impact on the success of the business.

NanoSight’s technology has been installed worldwide with users including BASF, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Proctor and Gamble, Roche and Unilever, together with many leading universities and research institutes.

UK-based NanoSight has developed a revolutionary technique to view nanoparticles down to the size of several millionths of a millimetre. This opens previously unimagined possibilities such as for the development of viral vaccines and drug delivery systems, both of which require a great deal of precision.

The NanoSight technique measures on a particle-by-particle basis and so generates high-resolution particle-size distributions, allowing an accurate and precise measurement of virus or drug delivery particle numbers and sizes. This has clear implications for the manufacturing processes as well as helping to optimize the product yield.

From their start, NanoSight has attended NanoKTN events as both a speaker and exhibitor, using them as a means of securing business contacts within industry and academia. By talking to industry professionals within the field and by meeting with academics from leading research institutions and universities, NanoSight has been able to increase its new business prospects as well as providing the company with a platform to deliver information about the benefits of its technology directly to its target audience.

“There is no doubt that the NanoKTN events have been invaluable to our business, as has the dedicated commitment and support which has been provided to us by the NanoKTN staff,” explains Warren. “They have provided us with vital access to the nanotechnology market, both in the UK and abroad, helping us to develop our market understanding. Through conferences and focus groups, the NanoKTN has made the market more coherent, bringing academia and commercial players together, developing a solid MNT network.”

With continued support from the NanoKTN’s Theme Managers, NanoSight has been able to develop contact with key market professionals and generate new sales internationally. NanoSight has grown rapidly and has secured its position in the market as a leading manufacturer of unique nanoparticle characterization technology, more than 90% of sales being outside the UK.

CEO Warren adds, “I would strongly recommend companies joining the NanoKTN. Membership is essential to those wanting to learn more about the key players in the nanotechnology market and to help to build their company profile. Their events have provided us with valuable networking opportunities and are crucially important to ensure the growth of the UK nanotechnology market."