Decades of chromatography research done with DryLab®.

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis · 2016

Practical method development for the separation of monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug-conjugate species in hydrophobic interaction chromatography, part 1: optimization of the mobile phase

Marta Rodriguez-Aller, Davy Guillarme, Alain Beck, Szabolcs Fekete

The goal of this work is to provide some recommendations for method development in HIC using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) as model drug candidates. The effects of gradient steepness, mobile phase pH, salt concentration and type, as well as organic modifier were evaluated for tuning selectivity and retention in HIC. Except the nature of the stationary phase, which was not discussed in this study, the most important parameter for modifying selectivity was the gradient steepness. The addition of organic solvent (up to 15% isopropanol) in the mobile phase was also found to be useful for mAbs analysis, since it could provide some changes in elution order, in some cases. On the contrary, isopropanol was not beneficial with ADCs, since the most hydrophobic DAR species (DAR6 and DAR8) cannot be eluted from the stationary phase under these conditions. This study also illustrates the possibility to perform HIC method development using optimization software, such as Drylab. The optimum conditions suggested by the software were tested using therapeutic mAbs and commercial cysteine linked ADC (brentuximab-vedotin) and the average retention time errors between predicted and experimental retention times were ∼1%.

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis · 2016

Practical method development for the separation of monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug-conjugate species in hydrophobic interaction chromatoraphy, part 2: Optimization of the phase system

Alessandra Cusumano, Davy Guillarme, Alain Beck, Szabolcs Fekete

The goal of this second part was (i) to evaluate the performance of commercially available HIC columns and (ii) to develop a fast and automated “phase system” (i.e. stationary phase and salt type) optimization procedure for the analytical characterization of protein biopharmaceuticals. For this purpose, various therapeutic mAbs (denosumab, palivizumab, pertuzumab, rituximab and bevacizumab) and a cysteine linked ADC (brentuximab-vedotin) were selected as model substances. Several HIC column chemistries (butyl, ether and alkylamide) from different providers were evaluated in four different buffer systems (sodium acetate, sodium chloride, ammonium acetate and ammonium sulfate). As stationary phases, the historical TSK gel Butyl NPR phase and the brand new Thermo MAbPac HIC-10 were found to be the most versatile ones in terms of hydrophobicity, peak capacity and achievable selectivity. As salt types, ammonium sulfate and sodium acetate were found to be particularly well adapted for the analytical characterization of mAbs and ADCs, but it is important to keep in mind that a concentration 2 to 3-times higher of sodium acetate versus ammonium sulfate is required to achieve a similar retention in HIC. After selection of the most appropriate phase systems, the optimization of the separation can be carried out by computer assisted retention modeling in a high throughput manner.

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis · 2020

A validated UHPLC-MS method for tryptophan metabolites: Application in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

Ferenc Tömösi, Gábor Kecskeméti, Edina Katalin Cseh, Elza Szabó, Cecília Rajda, Róbert Kormány, Zoltán Szabó, László Vécsei, Tamás Janáky

The simultaneous quantitative estimation of tryptophan (TRP) and its metabolites represents a great challenge because of their diverse chemical properties, e.g., presence of acidic, basic, and nonpolar functional groups and their immensely different concentrations in biological matrices. A short ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)–tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method was validated for targeted analysis of TRP and its 11 most important metabolites derived via both kynurenine (KYN) and serotonin (SERO) pathways in human serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF): SERO, KYN, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, anthranilic acid, kynurenic acid (KYNA), 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK), xanthurenic acid, melatonin, picolinic acid (PICA), and quinolinic acid (QUIN). After selecting the “best” reversed-phase column and organic modifier, DryLab®4 was used to optimize the gradient time and temperature in chromatographic separation. To achieve absolute quantification, deuterium-labeled internal standards were used. Among all compounds, 3 were analyzed in derivatized (butyl ester) forms (3-HK, PICA, and QUIN) and the remaining 9 in underivatized forms. Validation was performed in accordance with the ICH and FDA guidelines to determine the intraday and interday precision, accuracy, sensitivity, and recovery. To demonstrate the applicability of the developed UHPLC–MS/MS method, the aforementioned metabolites were analyzed in serum and CSF samples from patients with multiple sclerosis (multiple sclerosis group) and those with symptomatic or noninflammatory neurological diseases (control group). The concentration of QUIN dramatically increased, whereas that of KYNA slightly decreased in the multiple sclerosis group, resulting in a significantly increased QUIN/KYNA ratio and significantly decreased PICA/QUIN ratio.

Journal of Chromatography A · 2014

Comparison of liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to compact single quadrupole mass spectrometer for targeted in vitro metabolism assay

Dany Spaggiari, Florence Mehl, Vincent Desfontaine, Alexandre Grand-Guillaume Perrenoud, Szabolcs Fekete, Serge Rudaz, Davy Guillarme

The goal of this study was to evaluate the combination of powerful chromatographic methods and compact single quadrupole MS device for simple in vitro cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibition assay, instead of more expensive triple quadrupole MS/MS detectors. For this purpose, two modern chromatographic approaches (ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC)) were tested in combination with simple MS detector. To show the applicability for an in vitro CYP-mediated metabolism assay using the cocktail approach, a method was first developed in UHPLC–MS to separate a mixture of 8 probe substrates and 8 CYP-specific metabolites. A screening procedure was initially applied to determine the best combination of a column, an organic modifier and a mobile-phase pH, followed by fine tuning of the conditions (i.e., gradient profile, temperature and pH) using HPLC modelling software. A similar sequential method development procedure was also evaluated for UHPSFC–MS. For method development, where peak tracking is necessary, the use of single quadrupole MS was found to be extremely valuable for following the investigated analytes. Ultimately, a baseline separation of the 16 compounds was achieved in both UHPLC–MS and UHPSFC–MS with an analysis time of less than 7min. In a second series of experiments, sensitivity was evaluated, and LOQ values were between 2 and 100ng/mL in UHPLC–MS, while they ranged from 2 to 200ng/mL in UHPSFC–MS. Based on the concentrations employed for the current in vitro phase I metabolism assay, these LOQ values were appropriate for this type of application. Finally, the two analytical methods were applied to in vitro CYP-dependent metabolism testing. Two well-known phytochemical inhibitors, yohimbine and resveratrol, were investigated, and reliable conclusions were drawn from these experiments with both UHPLC–MS and UHPSFC–MS. At the end, the proposed strategy of optimized chromatography combined with simple MS device has been shown to potentially compete with the widely used combination of generic chromatography and highly selective MS/MS device for simple in vitro CYP inhibition assays. In addition, our analytical method may be easier to use in a routine environment; the instrument cost is significantly reduced and the two developed methods fit for purpose.

Journal of Separation Science · 2013

Determination of the design space of the HPLC analysis of water-soluble vitamins

Hebatallah A. Wagdy, Rasha S. Hanafi, Rasha M. El-Nashar, Hassan Y. Aboul-Enein

Analysis of water-soluble vitamins has been tremendously approached through the last decades. A multitude of HPLC methods have been reported with a variety of advantages/shortcomings, yet, the design space of HPLC analysis of these vitamins was not defined in any of these reports. As per the food and drug administration (FDA), implementing the quality by design approach for the analysis of commercially available mixtures is hypothesized to enhance the pharmaceutical industry via facilitating the process of analytical method development and approval. This work illustrates a multifactorial optimization of three measured plus seven calculated influential HPLC parameters on the analysis of a mixture containing seven common water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B12, C, PABA, and PP). These three measured parameters are gradient time, temperature, and ternary eluent composition (B1/B2) and the seven calculated parameters are flow rate, column length, column internal diameter, dwell volume, extracolumn volume, %B (start), and %B (end). The design is based on 12 experiments in which, examining of the multifactorial effects of these 3 + 7 parameters on the critical resolution and selectivity, was carried out by systematical variation of all these parameters simultaneously. The 12 basic runs were based on two different gradient time each at two different temperatures, repeated at three different ternary eluent compositions (methanol or acetonitrile or a mixture of both). Multidimensional robust regions of high critical Rs were defined and graphically verified. The optimum method was selected based on the best resolution separation in the shortest run time for a synthetic mixture, followed by application on two pharmaceutical preparations available in the market. The predicted retention times of all peaks were found to be in good match with the virtual ones. In conclusion, the presented report offers an accurate determination of the design space for critical resolution in the analysis of water-soluble vitamins by HPLC, which would help the regulatory authorities to judge the validity of presented analytical methods for approval.

John Wiley · 2007

High-performance gradient elution: the practical application of the linear-solvent-strength model

Lloyd R. Snyder, John W. Dolan

Journal of Chromatography Open · 2025

Weak to strong ion-pair gradients to expand the selectivity of oligonucleotide separations in reversed phase liquid chromatography - A proof of concept

Szabolcs Fekete, Mateusz Imiolek, Matthew Lauber

This study introduces a novel ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography (IP-RPLC) method using a dual gradient approach to enhance the separation of oligonucleotides. By combining a weak ion-pairing (IP) agent in the starting (weaker) mobile phase with a strong IP agent in the final (stronger) mobile phase, this method widens the elution window, improving the resolution and selectivity for complex ON mixtures. The approach outperforms traditional single IP systems, particularly in separating sequence and size variants of ONs. Experimental results demonstrate that the weak-to-strong gradient yields better peak separation and higher selectivity compared to conventional methods. This innovative gradient strategy, combined with concave gradients, offers significant potential for optimizing ON separations in the development of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics.

Wiley · 2010

Equipment

Lloyd R. Snyder, J. J. Kirkland, John W. Dolan

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis · 2020

Updating the European Pharmacopoeia impurity profiling method for terazosin and suggesting alternative columns

Dániel Enesei, Imre Kapui, Szabolcs Fekete, Róbert Kormány

This work was motivated by the demand of European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare (EDQM). A new liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed for terazosin impurity profiling to replace the old European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) method. This new method is published as part of the new Ph. Eur. monograph proposal of terazosin in Pharmeuropa issue 32.2. The aim of the method renewal was to cut the analysis time from 90 min (2 × 45 min) down to below 20 min. The Ph. Eur. monograph method is based on two different chromatographic separations to analyze the specified impurities of terazosin. The reason for the two methods is that two of the impurities are not sufficiently retained in reversed phase (RP) conditions, not even with 100% water as eluent. Therefore, next to RP, an ion-pair (IP) chromatographic method has to be applied to analyze those two impurities. With our new proposed method it was possible to appropriately increase the retention of the two critical compounds using alternative stationary phases (instead of a C18 phase which is suggested by the Ph. Eur. method). Applying a pentafluoro-phenyl (PFP) stationary phase, it was feasible to separate and adequately retain all the impurities. The detection wavelength was also changed compared to the Ph. Eur. method and is now appropriate for the detection and quantification of all impurities using perchloric acid in the mobile phase at low pH. Another goal of the present study was to develop a generic workflow and to evaluate the chromatographic resolution in a wide range of method variables and suggest some replacement columns for terazosin impurity profiling. Retention modeling was applied to study the chromatographic behavior of the compounds of interest and visualize resolution for the different columns, where a given criterion is fulfilled. A zone (set of chromatographic conditions) of a robust space could be then quickly identified by the overlay of the individual response surfaces (resolution maps). It was also demonstrated that two columns from different providers (Kinetex F5 and SpeedCore PFP) can be used as replacement columns, providing sufficient resolution at the same working point and a high degree of robustness.