Chicago Bound

Chicago, Illinois, USA, will host the 71st annual Pittcon conference and exposition. Thousands of separation scientists from across the globe and from a wide spectrum of industries will gather at the McCormick Place convention centre to discuss, investigate, and assess the latest scientific advances in technology and instrumentation.

Pittcon’s host city of Chicago is more than just a destination for arts, culture, and commerce. The city boasts an exceptional science community, including over 100 academic medical centres and hospitals, two national laboratories, two science-related incubators, more than 40 national medical and health association headquarters, and over 30 universities and colleges. The Chicago region also includes organizations that are integral to advancing the industries of energy, medical devices, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and many more.

Pittcon provides attendees with the opportunity for true academic collaboration with world-renowned researchers presenting their discoveries, best practices, techniques, and applications within the fields of liquid chromatography (LC) and gas chromatography (GC). This technical-educational programming begins on Saturday 29 February 2020 and the exhibition runs from Monday 2 March 2020 till Thursday 5 March 2020.

Separation Science Symposium

A sampling of symposia with a focus on chromatography includes:

• Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography after 40 Years: State-of-the-Art and Future Prospects, organized by Dwight Stoll, this symposium will bring together experts from academic and industrial laboratories with experience in 2D-LC. Experts from pharmaceutical laboratories will describe ways that 2D-LC is impacting their workflows for small and large molecule analysis. Academic researchers will describe developments in instrumentation, and optimization and data analysis for 2D-LC.

• To Selectivity and Beyond: Celebrating 18 Years of the Hydrophobic Subtraction Model, organized by Joe Foley, will share the latest applications of the hydrophobic subtraction model, including (i) efficient method development in reversed-phase LC; (ii) orthogonal column selection in 2D-LC; (iii) accurate prediction of solute retention in reversed-phase LC; (iv) a critical comparison of phase-similar columns; and (v) the advantageous use of serially-coupled columns.

• Implementation of Ultrahigh-Pressure Liquid Chromatography Methodologies in Drug Discovery and Development, organized by Michael Dong. This symposium will provide an overview of the UHPLC methodologies in high-throughput screening, purification, drug discovery research, and development of small molecule drugs.

• Extractables and Leachables Analysis, organized by Dujuan Lu, will discuss how extractables and leachables (E&L) from pharmaceutical packaging, medical devices, and process equipment can potentially pose risks to the safety, efficacy, and stability of pharmaceutical or medical products. This session will highlight multiple analytical techniques used to identify and quantify E&L, such as GC–mass spectrometry (MS), LC–MS, and inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-MS.

Awards

Editorial director of LCGC, Laura Bush, will moderate the LCGC Lifetime Achievement and Emerging Leader in Chromatography Awards Symposia on the afternoon of Tuesday 3 March 2020. This session will feature major figures in the separation science field, including LCGC Lifetime Achievement awardee Daniel W. Armstrong and LCGC Emerging Leader awardee Szabolcs Fekete.

The Pittcon 2020 technical programme also features two significant and very apropos evening lectures. On Monday 2 March 2020, Pittcon will host John A. Rogers as the 2020 Wallace H. Coulter Lecturer, presenting “Soft, Skin-interfaced Microfluid Systems for Capture and Analysis of Sweat”, then, on Tuesday 3 March 2020, Pittcon will host Ziva Cooper as the 2020 Plenary Lecturer, presenting “Cannabis Constituents as Novel Strategies to Tackle the Opioid Epidemic”.

Short Courses

Pittcon also offers its popular short courses continuing education programme, where registrants have the opportunity to enhance their professional, technical, and scientific skill sets. There are numerous short courses from which to choose, starting on Saturday 29 February 2020, and lasting until Thursday 5 March 2020.

Separation scientists may find interest in the following course offerings:

• Practical Ion Chromatography: Successful Method Development, instructed by Jay Sheffer. This course will introduce ion chromatography with practical, industry-based applications encountered in real-world samples from multiple industries.

• Characterizations of Biologics by Capillary Electrophoresis, Liquid Chromatography, and Mass Spectrometry, instructed by Li Tao and Ming Zeng. This two-day course will provide an overview of the fundamentals and current practices of biologics analyses supporting process development within the pharmaceutical industry.

• Injection Techniques in Gas Chromatography, instructed by Jacob de Zeeuw. The goal of this course is to understand different injection techniques and the process of how to obtain a narrow injection band.

• Separations: Fundamentals of Advanced Gel Permeation and Size-Exclusion Chromatography Detection, instructed by Carrie Schindler. This course will highlight the theoretical and practical principles of GPC and SEC, reviewing the aspects of making high-quality GPC/SEC measurements and generating quality results.

Pittcon Exposition

The three-day Pittcon exposition starts on Tuesday 3 March 2020, and lasts until Thursday 5 March 2020. Here, exhibitors from over 90 countries will be displaying a variety of advanced instrumentation utilized in LC and GC. Attendees can apply their knowledge to get the most out of their interactions on the exposition floor, all while interacting with the latest laboratory instrumentation, participating in live demonstrations, and taking part in product seminars. The exposition is a collaborative environment where separation scientists are able to find effective solutions to their laboratory challenges.

Pittcon also works to enhance cooperation between attendees and technical experts alike through networking sessions. Here, participants are able to attend moderated, round table discussions on particular topics of interest such as the following:

• An Introduction to Valve Gas Chromatography Systems

• A Lab Manager’s Networking Session

• Trends and Hot Topics in Cannabis and Hemp Analytical Testing

• Hot Topics and Use of Multidimensional GC

• (GC×GC)

• SPME Arrow: Dramatically Increase Throughput in GC–MS Analysis Utilizing a New, Robust Microextraction Sampling Technique

The Pittcon 2020 mobile app augments the overall Pittcon experience by providing an avenue for attendees to navigate all that Pittcon has to offer. Available for free download in the Apple App Store and Google Play, the Pittcon 2020 mobile app allows users to create agendas, take notes, and expand their Pittcon experience.

Contact: Rocco Pacella
E-mail: marketing@pittcon.org
Location: McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Registration: www.pittcon.org/register

Stay Connected with LCGC

The LCGC team will be at Pittcon 2020 (Booth 1211) bringing you the latest news and updates from around the event. Tweet us at @LC_GC to keep up-to-date or to send us your personal conference highlights.