February 6th 2025
LCGC International spoke to Amanda Patrick, associate professor at Mississippi State University, about her research exploring mass spectrometry (MS) applications in ionic liquid analysis.
Characterizing Polyphenols in Food Using Chromatography
October 10th 2017There 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.
Determining Chloride and Sugars in Food Samples Using HPLC
September 18th 2017Accurate 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.
Recent Developments in Microchip Electrophoresis
July 25th 2017Capillary 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.
Unravelling the Mysteries of Glycosylation
June 20th 2017A 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.
Intelligent Peak Deconvolution
June 6th 2017High 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 Role of GC–MS in Caterpillar-Induced Plant Volatiles
May 9th 2017The 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.
Investigating Cheetah Metabolite Profiles Using GC–MS
May 9th 2017Adrian 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.
Volatile Separation: A Low-Density Approach
April 11th 2017Separating 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: LCGC’s 2017 Emerging Leader in Chromatography Award Winner
March 24th 2017Deirdre 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.
Pat Sandra: LCGC’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
March 1st 2017Pat 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.
That Old Devil Called Tasmanian
February 7th 2017A 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.
Investigating Off-Odours in Wine Using GC–O
January 17th 2017The 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.
Analyzing VOCs from the Great Barrier Reef
November 25th 2016Australia’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.
Contemporary Trends in Ion Chromatography
November 7th 2016Ion chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (IC-MS) does not follow the same rules as coupling other modes of liquid chromatography to mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Leon Barron from the Analytical & Environmental Science Division, at King’s College London, UK, reveals some of the misconceptions surrounding IC and discusses contemporary trends and novel applications for this inventive technique.
Measuring Phytosterols in Fortified Food
October 17th 2016A balanced diet is one step closer to a healthy lifestyle. Samantha Duong from the Australian Government’s National Measurement Institute (NMI) has used gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC–FID) to measure phytosterols in fortified food. She recently spoke to us about this research.
The Challenge of Accurate Protein Bioanalysis
October 4th 2016Traditionally, the most common approach for protein quantification in bioanalysis (that is, analysis of a protein in a biological sample or system) has been to use ligand-binding assays. In recent years, however, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) methods have been increasingly adopted to monitor the fate of drugs in vivo, particularly for small-molecule drugs. The measurement of protein-based pharmaceuticals (biopharmaceuticals) is challenging, however, because proteins are susceptible to various modifications that can change their structure and biological activity. Rainer Bischoff of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands has been studying this challenge and exploring approaches to overcome it. He recently spoke to us about this work.
Identifying and Discovering Marine Lipid Biomarkers Using LOBSTAHS
September 22nd 2016Discovering and identifying molecular biomarkers in large LC–MS data sets requires automation without loss of accuracy. Benjamin Van Mooy from the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution reveals a lipidomics strategy using LOBSTAHS to identify lipid, oxidized lipid, and oxylipin biomarkers in high mass accuracy HPLC– MS data.
Improving Biopharmaceutical Purification Using LFMC
September 21st 2016Biopharmaceutical purification techniques can be slow and cumbersome with poor scalability. A new device using laterally-fed membrane chromatography (LFMC) was developed to address these issues. Raja Ghosh from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, spoke to The Column about this new device and its potential applications.
Investigating Baby Food Using HILIC–MS/MS
July 20th 2016Babies and infants experience rapid growth within a short timeframe and the nutrition that they absorb is therefore of the utmost importance. María Mateos-Vivas from the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition, and Food Science at the University of Salamanca, Spain, has used hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to investigate the role of nucleotides on infant health. She recently spoke to us about this research.
Innovating Microfluidic Technologies
July 19th 2016The future of biological and clinical research will depend on technological innovations and cross discipline co-operation as science seeks a deeper understanding of increasingly complex biological systems. The 2016 recipient of the AES Mid-Career Award, Amy Herr, and her team at the University of California Berkeley have explored these areas using a combination of chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering with strong foundations in biology, material science, and analytical chemistry to innovate new microfluidic analytical technology. She recently spoke to LCGC about this work.
Detecting Carcinogens in Drinking Water
June 22nd 2016Water contamination has come to the forefront of global debate as a result of high profile cases such as those in Flint, Michigan, USA or the pollution of the Ganges River in India. Koji Kosaka of the National Institute of Public Health, Japan, has investigated the contamination of the Yodo River Basin in Japan, with the precursors of the carcinogen N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). He recently spoke to LCGC about his use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to uncover the source of contamination and the chemical precursors responsible.