Nanomaterials are showing great promise in their utility for biomedical applications, in areas such as drug delivery, diagnostics and image contrast enhancement. Nanoparticlebased formulations have demonstrated enhanced efficacy and decreased toxicity in comparison to conventional drugs. Comprehensive preclinical characterization of is a critical step in commercialization of nanoparticle-based formulations [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . Nanoparticle formulations are often comprised of various

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... s, including metals, metal oxides, polymers, lipids, biomolecules such as antibodies, proteins and DNA, and other organic compounds. In many cases, the nanoparticle combines two or more of these substances forming a conjugated, encapsulated or core/shell structure. The resulting complexity of nanoparticle-based formulations poses myriad characterization challenges.