Unchained Labs instruments: grant writing resources and sole-source documents

When you’re writing a capital-equipment or method-development proposal, reviewers want to see clear capability gaps and why this specific tool is required. Below is a quick guide to Unchained Labs’ key instruments and why researchers across biologics, gene therapy and nanoparticle R&D include them in funding proposals. Request the vendor sole-source document for any instrument using the form at the bottom of this page.

Why include it in your proposal

• Measures Tm, Tagg and Tsize in a single 1-hour run by combining full-spectrum fluorescence with SLS and DLS (single instrument).
• 96-well sealed quartz plate, only 8 µL per well; ideal for large screens and long-term/isothermal studies.
• AAV/viral vector stability workflow tracks genome ejection, capsid disruption and aggregation.
• Unmatched speed: Aunty can measure size and fluorescence for a full 96-well plate of samples every minute.

Why include it

• Only system to combine UV/Vis with rotating-angle DLS (RADLS) so you get concentration, size and polydispersity from the same 2 µL sample.
• For AAV, reports total capsid, full/empty ratio, size and aggregation in one workflow. For LNPs, quantifies payload by UV/Vis (Unmix) while measuring particle metrics by RADLS.
• 96 samples/run, automation-friendly microfluidic plates; wide absorbance range (0.03-275 OD10mm).

Why include it

• 5 minutes for 96 samples (typical) and no drop-and-wipe – microfluidic plates handle sample loading and retention.
• UV/Vis plus Unmix applications to quantify targets and common impurities across a very wide linear range (no serial dilutions).
• Automation-friendly; GLP options available.

Why include it

• Combines SP-IRIS with fluorescence microscopy to measure concentration, size and protein composition at the single-particle level.
• LV assays quantify capsid and RNA-containing particles, empty capsids, aggregates, soluble p24, and EV contaminants from the same sample – minimal prep.
• Exosomes down to 35 nm, with phenotyping across up to 4 markers at once; 16 samples/run; 1-25 µL per sample.

Why include it

• Automates 96 unique formulations <6 hours with flexible TFR/FRR and optional inline dilution – walk-away runs cut time and material use.
• Uses reusable glass microfluidic “Sunnies” (40-200 nm applications) to improve reproducibility and reduce consumables.
• Designed to transfer methods directly to Sunshine for process development and continuous production. 

Why include it

• Direct method transfer from Sunscreen to scale-up: Sunshine sits downstream of Sunscreen; the same pumping technology and microfluidic Sunnies are used across the Sunny Suite, so process parameters and learnings carry forward from screening into process optimisation and production.
• Built for optimisation and continuous operation: Sunshine is described as an automated process optimisation and continuous pumping system for moving to larger volumes, helping you justify end-to-end capability within one ecosystem.
• Lower implementation risk: Using the same Sunny Suite hardware and software stack across steps reduces re-validation effort when moving from hit-finding to robust production protocols.