Highlights from the 55th International Symposium on High-Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques (HPLC 2026)

The 55th International Symposium on High-Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques (HPLC 2026), held in Indianapolis, Indiana, once again brought together the international separation science community for a week of scientific exchange, technical discussion, and, as is customary at HPLC, far too little time to catch up with old friends.

The meeting carried a particularly energetic atmosphere from the opening activities through the closing sessions. For many attendees, the program reflected a deliberate effort to balance fundamental science with practical analytical challenges. Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical analysis, particularly the characterization of emerging therapeutic modalities, occupied a prominent place in the program. At the same time, advances in multidimensional separations, artificial intelligence (AI), in silico modeling, stationary-phase technology, miniaturization, and high-throughput analysis have demonstrated that innovation in separation science continues..

As in previous HPLC symposium reviews, colleagues attending the meeting were asked to share the presentations, sessions, and developments that made the greatest impression on them. What follows is a synthesis of those observations, along with a few personal perspectives on the scientific themes that appeared to define HPLC 2026. The comments reflect an important characteristic of this year’s meeting: While new technologies and emerging therapeutic challenges were clearly driving innovation, there remained a strong appreciation for the fundamental science on which future progress will depend.

Practical Problems, Emerging Modalities, and the Continuing Evolution of Pharmaceutical Analysis

One of the strongest impressions reported by attendees was the practical orientation of much of the scientific program. Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical analysis featured prominently, with particular attention to emerging modalities and the increasingly complex analytical challenges they pose. These challenges are important not only because of their immediate relevance to the pharmaceutical community, but also because difficult analytical problems often become the driving force behind advances in instrumentation, columns, sample preparation, and data analysis.

Oligonucleotides and related advanced therapeutics continued to be especially prominent. The analytical characterization of 20–40-mer oligonucleotides and their diastereomers remains an imposing separation challenge, particularly when chemical modifications introduce additional complexity. Several respondents noted that the amount of experimental information being generated in this area may make it an ideal candidate for increased use of AI and machine-learning approaches.

The keynote presentations by Koen Sandra, PhD (CEO, RIC Group, Belgium) and Davy Guillarme, PhD (University of Geneva, Switzerland) further emphasized the importance of combining complementary separation modes for the analysis of complex biopharmaceuticals. Whether applied online or offline, multidimensional and orthogonal approaches continue to expand the analytical toolbox available for monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, oligonucleotides, and other emerging therapeutic modalities.

AI, in Silico Modeling, and the Road Toward Autonomous Method Development

If HPLC 2025 was characterized by considerable discussion about the possible role of AI in separation science, HPLC 2026 suggested that the conversation is beginning to move beyond the question of whether these tools will be useful and toward the more practical question of how they can be effectively implemented.

AI and in silico modeling were among the strongest themes identified by respondents. The AI-focused sessions were reportedly well attended, with one attendee estimating that more than 100, and perhaps closer to 150, scientists participated in a single session.

Particularly noteworthy was the work of Gerben van Henten, MSc (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and Tijmen Bos, PhD (Innovative Data Evaluation And Separations [IDEAS], The Netherlands) on autonomous method development. The prospect of automated optimization with minimal analyst intervention represents an important step toward a more autonomous laboratory environment. Of course, as with any application of AI or automation, the value of the result will depend heavily on the quality of the underlying scientific knowledge, experimental data, and constraints incorporated into the process. Nevertheless, the continued development of these approaches suggests that chromatographers may increasingly spend less time performing repetitive optimization experiments and more time defining the questions that automated systems are asked to solve.

Another interesting application of modeling involved the concept of retention-time-aligned methods (RTAM). In this work, a chromatographic method was redeveloped to address practical problems such as discontinued columns, incompatibility with mass spectrometry, and the desire to employ greener mobile phases while maintaining retention times comparable to those of an established method. By systematically varying gradient slope, temperature, and mobile-phase composition through in silico modeling, the work demonstrated retention-time differences of less than 5% across standard mixtures and pipeline samples. This type of application may ultimately prove especially valuable for method lifecycle management, method transfer, and the modernization of established methods.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of these developments is that AI and modeling are beginning to address distinctly practical chromatographic problems. The goal is not simply to generate another optimized chromatogram. Increasingly, the goal is to make analytical methods more transferable, robust, sustainable, and compatible with the changing needs of the laboratory.

2D-LC: Peak Capacity Continues to Climb

Multidimensional chromatography was another area repeatedly identified as a major highlight of HPLC 2026. Dwight Stoll, PhD (Gustavus Adolphus College) gave a particularly memorable presentation on the current state of 2-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC), where he demonstrated that peak capacities exceeding 1,000 can now be achieved in commercially practical timeframes and with commercially available instrumentation.

For those who have followed the development of 2D-LC over the past several decades, this progress is remarkable. The theoretical advantages of multidimensional separations have long been apparent, but practical implementation has historically been limited by instrument complexity, modulation strategies, data handling, and the challenge of making such systems sufficiently robust for routine use.

The continued improvement of instrumentation and methodology is gradually narrowing the gap between theoretical potential and practical application. As one attendee succinctly described Stoll’s work, the demonstration of peak capacities approaching or exceeding 800 in only a few minutes was simply impressive.

The significance of these advances extends well beyond an impressive number of resolved peaks. Complex biopharmaceuticals, metabolomic samples, and other highly heterogeneous systems increasingly demand separation strategies that cannot always be accomplished using a single chromatographic dimension. The growing maturity of 2D-LC suggests that multidimensional approaches will continue moving from specialized research applications toward a broader analytical role.

There Is More to Chromatography Than Silica

One of the most refreshing themes emerging from the conference was a renewed discussion about the materials used to perform chromatographic separations.

Silica remains the dominant support material in modern liquid chromatography, and for good reason. It has enabled decades of extraordinary advances in column performance, efficiency, reproducibility, and selectivity. Yet, as Susan Olesik, PhD (The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio) emphasized in her presentation, chromatographers should not automatically assume that silica represents the optimal material for every separation problem. Carbonaceous materials, zirconia, titania, and other alternatives offer different chemical and physical properties that may become increasingly valuable as new analytical challenges emerge.

Continuing work from Luis Colón, PhD (the University at Buffalo, New York) on silica stationary phases also attracted attention. Despite decades of research devoted to controlling surface silanol activity and improving bonded-phase stability, there remains considerable room for innovation. His discussion of stabilization through Si–O–C bonding using diazonium chemistry represented another reminder that even the most mature chromatographic materials can still provide opportunities for fundamental and practical advances.

These discussions were complemented by continued interest in microfluidics, stereolithography, and 3-dimensional (3D) printing as tools for creating new chromatographic architectures. Microfluidic columns and other structured separation media that are 3D-printed appeared throughout the program, reflecting the growing influence of materials science and advanced manufacturing on separation technology.

Perhaps the lesson is not that silica is about to be replaced. It clearly is not. Rather, HPLC 2026 reminded us that chromatographers should resist becoming too comfortable with any one solution. New separation problems may require new materials, new geometries, and occasionally a willingness to reconsider assumptions that have served the field well for decades.

The Particle Debate Is Back

Another familiar subject made a notable reappearance: particle-size distribution.

The work from Fabrice Gritti, PhD (Waters Corporation, Milford, Massachusetts) examining monodisperse and polydisperse particles stimulated renewed discussion about the fundamental role of particle-size distribution in chromatographic performance. With several manufacturers again promoting highly monodisperse particles for both size-exclusion and reversed-phase separations, the relationship between particle distribution, permeability, efficiency, and reduced plate height has returned to the forefront.

The renewed interest is timely. Advances in particle manufacturing have made it possible to revisit questions that may have appeared settled or at least sufficiently understood in previous generations of column development. As Gritti and others continue to examine these systems, careful measurement of van Deemter behavior and particle characteristics will be important in distinguishing genuine performance advantages from attractive but incomplete narratives. The topic represents an excellent example of how fundamental chromatographic questions can periodically return as manufacturing capabilities and analytical requirements evolve.

Small Columns, Big Performance

Miniaturization was another recurring theme. Capillary chromatography continues to demonstrate remarkable potential, particularly for applications requiring high peak capacity, reduced sample consumption, and compatibility with biological and omics-based analyses. The remaining question, as one respondent posed, is not necessarily whether capillary systems can deliver the required performance, but whether they will be sufficiently practical to achieve broad adoption.

Several presentations demonstrated just how far miniaturized systems have progressed. Thomas Knecht, from Bob Kennedy’s group at the University of Michigan (UM), Ann Arbor, presented work using droplet microfluidics to support extremely high-throughput HPLC, with automated injection and gradient separations occurring on timescales of approximately 1-5s.

The work from Tate Hancock (UM) on capillary-column packing was also repeatedly mentioned. His systematic investigation of approaches to achieving highly efficient capillary columns reportedly produced reduced plate heights as low as approximately 1.2, a remarkable demonstration of the performance that may be possible when particle packing and column architecture are carefully optimized.

Miniaturization is often discussed primarily in terms of reduced solvent consumption, but HPLC 2026 demonstrated that the advantages can be considerably broader. Improved efficiency, faster separations, enhanced sensitivity, and compatibility with small-volume samples all suggest that capillary and microfluidic systems will remain important areas of development.

Fundamentals Still Matter: Remembering Peter Carr

Amid discussions of AI, automation, emerging therapeutics, and advanced manufacturing, HPLC 2026 also provided an important reminder that progress in separation science remains firmly connected to its fundamental foundations.

The sessions dedicated to Peter Carr, PhD, were among the most highly praised parts of the program. Two sessions explored his broad influence on chromatographic theory and fundamental science, including mass-transfer modeling, 2D-LC performance, bioaffinity, and retention mechanisms in reversed-phase chromatography.

Several attendees described the sessions as both scientifically outstanding and personally moving. The presentation by Mark Schure, PhD (CTO, Kroungold Analytical) that highlighted Carr’s many contributions was especially appreciated, and the sessions made clear the extent to which Carr’s work continues to influence the field.

The importance of these sessions extended beyond a retrospective appreciation of an influential scientist. They served as a reminder that today’s advances in autonomous method development, multidimensional chromatography, and new stationary-phase technologies still depend upon an understanding of retention, mass transfer, selectivity, and other fundamentals that scientists such as Carr helped to establish.

Detection and Data: More Information From Complex Samples

Several presentations also highlighted the importance of combining improved separations with more sophisticated detection and data analysis.

The work of Caitlin Cain, PhD (University of Virginia, Charlottesville) in metabolomics demonstrated how improved separations and data-analysis strategies can work together to increase the number of positive compound identifications. Meanwhile, developments in charged aerosol detection for lipid nanoparticle formulations and other emerging applications reflected the continuing need for detectors capable of addressing complex pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical systems.

The work of Noah Menard (The University of Texas at Arlington) using benchtop NMR as an online detector for HPLC and SFC offered another interesting example of how alternative detection strategies can provide information-rich measurements in relatively compact analytical systems.

The common theme among these presentations was that a chromatographic separation is increasingly only one part of the analytical equation. Improvements in separation performance, detection, data processing, and computational interpretation are becoming more tightly integrated, particularly as analytical samples become more complex.

The Next Generation Is Already Here

As is customary at HPLC, some of the most encouraging moments came from presentations by students and early-career scientists.

Respondents repeatedly commented on the quality of the young scientists presenting their work. The Csaba Horváth Award competition provided one particularly visible demonstration of this strength, with well-prepared presentations spanning microfluidics, capillary-column technology, extracellular-vesicle separations, and new approaches to chromatographic detection.

This year’s award also carried particular significance because it recognized industry-based research for the first time since the award’s introduction approximately 20 years ago. Work by Muhammad Qamar Farooq, PhD, and Troy Handlovic, PhD, both of Amgen, was recognized, highlighting the important scientific contributions made outside academia and the persistence often required to publish and advance research in an industrial environment.

The continued strength of young researchers, combined with increasing participation from industry, is encouraging for the future of the field.

Posters: A Snapshot of the Breadth of HPLC 2026

Poster presentations remain an important component of the HPLC Symposium Series, providing opportunities for scientific discussion and particularly valuable exposure for early-career researchers. Approximately 100 posters participated in the Best Poster Award competition at HPLC 2026, with 18 finalists selected after the initial evaluation. The finalists then presented 3-minute poster pitches, and 10 ultimately received Best Poster Awards, with the remaining finalists receiving honorable mention recognition.

The award-winning posters reflected many of the scientific themes seen throughout the oral program. Topics included miniaturized HPLC detection, novel stationary-phase modifications, direct nucleic-acid analysis, single-cell glycomics, PFAS analysis, mass spectrometry, nucleic-acid characterization, and challenges associated with siRNA therapeutics.

An interesting observation from attendees was that several vendor posters stood out not simply as product promotions, but as strong scientific contributions. This was a welcome reminder that meaningful separation science continues to be conducted throughout the entire community, in academia, industry, instrument companies, and other commercial organizations.

And So Much More…

As always, no conference review can adequately capture everything that occurred during a full week of parallel technical sessions, posters, workshops, informal discussions, and impromptu conversations.

Beyond the themes highlighted here, attendees pointed to advances in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS), structured and 3D-printed columns, high-throughput microfluidic separations, metabolomics, novel detectors, lipid nanoparticle characterization, and continued improvements in the analysis of complex biopharmaceuticals.

The relatively small vendor exhibition was noted by at least one attendee as somewhat surprising for a conference of this scientific scope. Nevertheless, the technical program itself was widely praised for its practical orientation and for successfully bringing together fundamental science and contemporary analytical challenges.

Credit is due to the organizers and scientific leadership for crafting a program that preserved the broad scientific identity of the HPLC Symposium while addressing the evolving needs of modern chromatographers. From emerging therapeutic modalities to autonomous method development and from fundamental theory to microfabricated separation systems, HPLC 2026 demonstrated that the field remains both technically ambitious and scientifically diverse.

Conclusions

HPLC 2026 provided a timely view of a field in which several important trends are beginning to converge.

Advanced pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical modalities continue to generate analytical challenges that require improved selectivity, greater peak capacity, orthogonal separations, and more sophisticated detection strategies. At the same time, AI, machine learning, and in silico modeling are beginning to move from topics of speculation toward practical tools for method development, method redevelopment, and laboratory automation.

Perhaps equally important, the conference maintained a strong connection to the fundamental science that has historically driven advances in chromatography. The renewed discussion of stationary-phase materials, particle-size distribution, capillary-column performance, and chromatographic theory demonstrated that there is still much to learn about the physical and chemical processes occurring inside a chromatographic column.

The future of separation science may involve autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, microfluidics, and increasingly complex biological samples. But HPLC 2026 offered a reassuring message: progress will continue to depend on scientists who understand the fundamentals well enough to recognize when a new technology genuinely represents an advance, and when it is simply another interesting idea.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the HPLC 2026 attendees who generously shared their observations and highlights for this review, including Xiaoli Wang, Imad Haidar Ahmad, Bo Zhang, Fabrice Gritti, Jim Grinias, Gert Desmet, Deirdre Cabooter, and Jiri Urban. Their perspectives provided valuable insight into the breadth of scientific activity at this year’s symposium.

And, of course, congratulations and thanks to the organizers, scientific committee members, speakers, poster presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, students, and attendees whose contributions made HPLC 2026 another memorable gathering of the separation science community.