LCGC Interviews

The benefits of an analytical quality by design (AQbD) approach to method development cannot be underestimated. The Column spoke to Changqin Hu and Xia Zhang from the National Institutes for Food Drug Control, in Beijing, China, about their work developing a dual-gradient elution stability-indicating method for cloxacillin within an AQbD framework.

Mira Petrovic from the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA) in Girona, Spain, reveals the advantages and practical applications of a novel method she developed for the multiresidue trace analysis of pharmaceutical compounds and their corresponding metabolites and transformation products using dual-column liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS).

The durian fruit is notorious for its unpalatable aroma, and yet the fruit is incredibly popular throughout Southeast Asia and amongst travellers. Holding the title of “the world’s smelliest fruit” attracts attention including that of Martin Steinhaus from the Aroma Research Group at the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Lebensmittelchemie (German Research Center for Food Chemistry). He spoke to The Column about his group’s research into the compounds responsible for the fruit’s uniquely unpleasant aroma.

Polyphenols are a well-known group of antioxidants widely diffused as secondary metabolites in plants, vegetables, and fruit. The Column spoke to Nicola Marchetti from the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Ferrara in Ferrara, Italy, about his research into the characterization of polyphenols in red chicory using high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS).

The chemical messages that animals use to communicate can trigger a range of responses in members of the same species. The Column spoke to Jorge Saiz from the Centre of Metabolomics and Bioanalysis (CEMBIO) at the University San Pablo CEU, Spain, about his research into the chemical secretions of lizards and the role of gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) in his work.

Monitoring the endocrine status of marine mammals can give valuable information to researchers. Overall health, health issues, and an animal’s pregnancy status can all be deduced from the careful analysis of steroid hormones. However, gaining such data is not easy. The difficulty of obtaining blood samples in the wild necessitates the use of alternative matrices, such as blubber, that in turn provide a number of analytical challenges. Aiming to solve these issues a team of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a novel method using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) to analyze blubber obtained through remote sample collection. Ashley Boggs from NIST spoke to The Column about the benefits of this newly developed technique and its potential wider application in animal research and management.

There is a growing interest in polyphenols because of their noticeable antioxidant properties and their potential contribution to the defence against oxidative stress and protection against cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Oscar Núñez from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry at the University of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, has been working since 2010 in the analysis of polyphenols by capillary electrophoresis (CE), liquid chromatography (LC), mass spectrometry (MS), and chemometric techniques to achieve the characterization, classification, and authentication of natural products in the prevention of frauds. He recently spoke to The Column about this research.

Accurate quantification of sugars in saline solution is now possible using a new high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The Column spoke to Abdelrahman Saleh Zaky from the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham (Nottingham, UK) about this method.

Fresh fruit and vegetables have a limited shelf life and so there is a need to ensure that the products reach the shelf in a timely manner and with as little spoilage as possible. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are an easily accessible way of monitoring changes in fresh produce. Hilary J. Rogers and Carsten T. Müller from the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK, investigate these VOCs in fruit and vegetables using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). They recently spoke to The Column about this research.

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is routinely used for chemical and biochemical analysis methods, and recently the technique has been implemented on microchips. R. Scott Martin, a professor and chair of chemistry at Saint Louis University, has been investigating ways to improve these techniques for years. He recently spoke to us about his research coupling microchip electrophoresis with electrochemical detection, coupling continuous flow with microchip electrophoresis with valving, coupling microchip CE with microdialysis sampling and electrochemistry, and more.

The Column spoke to Ethel Eljarrat of the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDÆA), Spanish Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), in Barcelona, Spain, about her work in environmental analyses using turbulent flow chromatography (TFC).

Valentina D’Atri from the University of Geneva spoke to The Column about the evolving role of HILIC in biopharmaceutical analysis.

A novel quantitative method combining multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and ultrahigh‑pressure liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS) has been developed by Carlito Lebrilla and his team to study site-specific glycosylation in manufactured recombinant monoclonal antibody drugs (rmAbs). He spoke to The Column about this research.

High quality, low cost is a standard mantra within the pharmaceutical industry, but with increasing structural complexity of drugs and drug candidates maintaining the core value of this mantra is becoming more difficult. Kanta Horie from Eisai Co., Ltd., recently spoke to The Column about the development of an intelligent peak deconvolution technique using multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) that allows accurate quantitation of multiple components with different absorbing spectra even if the peaks are not completely separated.

The Column spoke to Ashraf El-Sayed from the Plant and Food Research Institute in Lincoln, New Zealand, about his research into caterpillar-induced plant volatiles and the role of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) in his work.

Adrian Tordiffe from the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Pretoria in South Africa, is working to establish baseline metabolic profiles for captive and free-ranging cheetahs to investigate the unusual medical conditions that the animals develop in captivity. He spoke to The Column about his work and about the role that chromatography plays.

Eric Nelson discusses methods for analyzing halogenated transformation products of pharmaceuticals and other contaminants.

Separating and quantifying both volatile and nonvolatile compounds in complex mixtures is a costly and time-consuming process presenting significant technical challenges. Fabrice Gritti from the Instrument, Core Research, Fundamental Group at Waters Corporation discusses his team’s unique solution to this problem, combining high-vacuum technology and low-density fluid chromatography (LDFC) with carbon dioxide as a mobile phase for a rapid and complete baseline separation of both volatile and nonvolatile compounds on a single instrument, single column, and a single run without the associated loss of resolution.

Deirdre Cabooter is an emerging leader in chromatography known for her work exploring the possibilities and limitations of the kinetic plot method for comparing the kinetic performance of chromatographic separation methods and columns. Joining the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in 2011, where she is currently an associate professor, Cabooter has continued her stellar research and taken on responsibilities in the organization of the popular symposium series HTC. She recently spoke to LCGC about her career and work so far.

Can combining stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) extend the practical applications of SBSE? The Column spoke to Antonio Martin-Esteban of the Department of Environment of the National Institute of Research and Technology in Agricultural and Food Science (INIA) in Madrid, Spain, to find out more.

Pat Sandra is known for his expansive knowledge across a wide spectrum of analytical techniques, blending the world of academia and private enterprise, and bringing separation science into the mainstream consciousness. Combining analytical excellence, innovation, and a unique gift for problem solving into a career which has lasted almost 50 years. Sandra recently spoke to LCGC about his career and work.

The Column spoke to Rudolf Krska from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria, about the latest analytical techniques and challenges facing analysts involved in the evolving field of mycotoxin analysis.

A cross-disciplinary team of researchers in Tasmania from the fields of separation science, proteomics and metabolomics, immunology and zoology are on a mission to save the Tasmanian devil from extinction using metabolic fingerprinting of serum to identify biomarkers for Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). The Column spoke to Naama Karu, Rodrigo Hamede Ross, and Richard Wilson to find out more.

The aroma of a wine is an important part of the wine tasting experience. Angela Lopez-Pinar from the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany, has been investigating off-odours in wine using gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC–O). She recently spoke to us about this research.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) stretches over 2300 km and is composed of over 3000 individual reef systems. The health of the reef therefore often comes under international scrutiny. Hilton Swan from Southern Cross University in Australia has been investigating volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from the Great Barrier Reef using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). He recently spoke to us about this work.