Best of the Week: Continuous Chromatography, Smartphone Drug Residue

This week, LCGC International published a variety of articles on the hottest topics in chromatography and beyond. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the most popular articles, according to our readers. Happy reading!

Inside the Laboratory: Grinias Research Lab at Rowan University, Part II – Graduate Student Interviews

Patrick Lavery

Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, is home to the Grinias Research Lab headed by James Grinias, a professor in the department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Jim’s introductory interview for this part of the series was shared on the LCGC website in March. In this installment of “Inside the Laboratory,” we speak with graduate students studying under Grinias about their backgrounds, research interests, and future plans. LCGC will be releasing further video interviews with Grinias’ students as well as footage from inside the lab, and even instrumentation demonstrations, in the coming weeks.

Determining Cardiovascular Risks Resulting from Xylitol Use with LC-MS/MS

John Chasse

Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol found in plants, including many fruits and vegetables. Widely used in “sugar-free” chewing gums, mints, and other candies, xylitol reduces levels of decay-causing bacteria in saliva, and additionally acts against some bacteria that cause ear infections. In the United States, while products that contain xylitol are allowed to state that they reduce the risk for cavities, people also use it to prevent tooth plaque, dry mouth, and many other conditions; however, there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses. In a recent study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers from the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio) used isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine if the sugar substitute xylitol has an association with incidents of major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) risk.

Inside the Laboratory: The Blaney Laboratory at the University of Maryland Baltimore County

Will Wetzel

Environmental analysisis a field where chromatography plays an integral role. Detecting, identifying, and quantifying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are currently hot topics in environmental analysis, mostly because it affects both the environment and natural resources humans regularly use. Lee Blaney is a Professor and Associate Director of Sustainability Engineering at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. His laboratory is primarily focused on studying CECs, including developing advanced analytical methods that can better improve detection and quantification of CECs in the environment, as well as developing new treatment technologies for diverse contaminants in water and wastewater. Recently, LCGC International spoke to Dr. Blaney about his laboratory’s work with PFAS and CEC analysis, as well as the current research projects they are working on.

Assessing Drug Residue on Smartphones Using Liquid Chromatography

Caroline Hroncich

In a recent study out of the Grenoble Alpes University Hospital in France, smartphones were examined as a new matrix for toxico-epidemiology. According to them, fingerprints on a phone’s surface contain perspiration and natural oils from skin that can reveal the presence of drugs. To examine smartphones in this regard, ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) were used.

Evaluating the Use of Continuous Chromatography

Feliza Mirasol

Continuous processes continue to advance in bioprocessing. In downstream processing, continuous chromatography is gaining traction in the purification of protein therapeutics. As the biopharmaceutical industry strives to demonstrate, continuous manufacturing offers the benefits of higher productivity and better product quality than traditional batch manufacturing. In addition, continuous processing intensifies production and lowers capital costs, while enabling better control. While downstream processing has not advanced at the same pace, research on continuous chromatographic purification for antibodies is maturing.