Biopharmaceutical analysis typically involves a wide range of analytical techniques and methodologies to determine different structural characteristics or attributes, such as molecular weight, amino acid sequence, glycosylation, charge variants, aggregation and fragmentation. By combining multiple techniques in one analytical method, these product properties can be assessed simultaneously, a principle known as multi-attribute analysis (MAA).

The introduction of commercially available and robust instrumentation has significantly contributed to advances made in the field of MAA and multidimensional chromatography. Combining two separation modes in a single liquid chromatographic method (aka 2D-LC) does not only allow orthogonal information to be acquired in one run, it can make separations compatible with mass spectrometry or substantially increase resolving power. For this reason, 2D-LC has become a valuable tool for in-depth characterization and comparability studies, allowing us to closely monitor different product batches or to compare batches of a biosimilar with its originator (picture above).

But why stop there? The advantages of this multidimensional technology can be leveraged even further by adding more dimensions. Enter 3D- and 4D-LC. An extra first dimension can cover a sample preparation step, e.g. capturing the molecule of interest from a complex mixture prior to analysis. Another dimension can incorporate certain chemical or enzymatic reactions, e.g. performing an on-line digestion step for subsequent peptide mapping.

Today at PITTCON Chicago our CEO, Koen Sandra, will be your guide through the compelling world of multidimensional liquid chromatography and the solutions it can bring to the industry.