From the Editor: Fresh Insights for a New Season of Chromatography

Fall is upon us. I’ve always found this season inspiring—it feels like a fresh start, even though it comes midway through the year. Perhaps it’s the memory of the first day of school: the smell of new pens and paper, the excitement of exploring new subjects, and the stories shared as friends and colleagues return from summer breaks. There’s something energizing about turning the page on a new chapter, whether in academia, industry, or personal pursuits.

Whatever your new beginning is this fall, I hope that you find the September issue of LCGC International useful in your chemistry pursuits. This month, we’ve gathered three feature articles that highlight cutting-edge research and practical guidance in chromatography, from oligonucleotide analysis to data presentation and advanced biologics workflows.

Oligonucleotide Analysis: Challenges and Solutions

Therapeutic nucleic acids are increasingly important in modern medicine but analyzing them presents unique challenges. This article surveys liquid chromatography methods, covering mobile phase selection, column chemistry, and separation strategies to improve resolution and accuracy. Readers will gain insights into optimizing oligonucleotide analysis in both research and regulatory contexts.

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How to Meaningfully Describe and Display Analytical Data

Clear, accurate data presentation is critical in analytical chemistry. This piece explores descriptive statistics, comparing mean versus median and standard deviation versus median absolute deviation (MAD). It provides practical guidance for selecting the right metrics to communicate results effectively and reduce the risk of misinterpretation.

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Decoding Complexity: Analytical Workflows for Bispecific Antibodies

Bispecific and multispecific antibodies are revolutionizing therapeutics, but their analysis is complex. This article highlights modern separation techniques, detection strategies, and workflow design, offering insights to help analytical chemists accurately characterize these next-generation biologics.

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Advances in Non-Targeted Analysis for PFAS in Environmental Matrices

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants, many of which may go undetected with traditional targeted methods. This article highlights recent advances in non-targeted analysis, including high-resolution mass spectrometry and sophisticated data processing, to identify and characterize a broader range of PFAS in water, soil, and air. These approaches improve detection of unknown or emerging PFAS compounds and support more comprehensive environmental monitoring.

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Whether you’re returning from summer vacations, heading back to the classroom, or simply looking to refresh your analytical approach, we hope this issue provides practical insights and inspiration to support your chromatography work as the season turns.